The Multiverse Theory (HIATUS)
by FoxFury333
Summary: The Multiverse... An infinite and timeless expanse. But what if you could edit it, ever just a small part? Welcome to the many, many worlds of Zootopia, where we watch every character do all manner of things, all because of your inputs and ideas! So, read on, and discover what it truly means to be in command of a universe... A slice of life? How about a slice of reality?
1. The Multiverse Theory

**Lab Report 34-**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** The Multiverse Project

* * *

Welcome to the Multiverse…

An infinite, and timeless expanse. One that can't truly be comprehended… Or seen. That is, until today. For we at Fox Labs have discovered something. Or, to be more precise, some place. It might not be much, but we hope that using it, we can tap into the vast, unlimited spaces of the Multiverse. We have called this place 'Zootopia', as a joke from one of our technicians. As you'll see, this city is filled with nothing more than animals. But animals like us, to put it in simple terms. Walking, talking, working, civilized mammals. And we at Fox Labs have decided that this is the perfect place.

After months of R&D, we have come up with what we like to call the 'Infuser'. It's a special little device, something that can **alter the fabric of time and space!** So, now we have both the place and the technology. All we need? The idea. Something to do. To test. To experiment.

And what better place to do that than here? The internet. One vast interconnectedness. And now, everyone can add and contribute to this experiment, one that could change the world as we truly know it!

So, I ask anyone who is reading this to think: 'What do I want to do for Zootopia?'. Mind you, it could be absolutely anything. A giant meteorite. A role-reversal. Anything the reader can come up with. Think and send! We here at Fox Labs will go through the messages, and every few days (it's rather expensive to change a dimension!) we'll test one, and write the report back here…

...So, go ahead, tell us what you want to see, and you never know, Zootopia #13453 could be that jelly city you've always wanted!

* * *

 **A/N -**

 **OK!**

 **That was just something to introduce this little 'experiment'. If you haven't already gathered, I am going to be starting a new series. I call it, 'The Multiverse Theory'. Ultimately, anyone who reads this can post new ideas and inspirations in a PM (or in reviews) to me. Every week or so (maybe longer, maybe shorter), I'll look through the replies that have been gathered, and I'll write something on it. It could be 1000 words, it could be 8000 words, it really depends on what it is. So, as Dr. Alex Thorp said, please send your ideas, and see if you can change the world. For as the great Officer Judy Hopps said: ' _Change starts with you, change starts with me, change starts with all of us!_ '**

 _ **Note of an Author's Note -**_

 _ **I will probably go back and completely re-write this soon, but I just wanted to get it out and get the ideas flowing! Good Luck!**_


	2. Multiverse 1 - Zootopia 1548793

**Zootopia #1548793**

 **Time - 03:22**

 **Date - 18/04 756 A.E**

 **Mammals of interest - Judy Hopps**

* * *

The noises just wouldn't stop.

They continued on through the night, blowing upon the wind, rushing through the city. It set shivers down the spine to hear them. The howls, growls and barks. They were loud, abnormally loud for the city. And, more disturbingly, they were the only sound that Judy Hopps could hear.

She lay in bed, cramped as it was in the small apartment. The walls were a blotchy white, paint and wallpaper peeling away slowly, like some sideways tsunami. But these walls were also very thin, and now they meant that the sounds jumped into the room around Judy, a host of ghosts dancing around her head. And, as she had thought so many times before, they _were_ too loud. Ever since the quarantining had started, the streets emptied of mammals at night, everyone rushing towards the scant comfort and safety that their homes provided. So, other than the occasional drunk or car alarm, the rest of the city was eerily quiet…

...Except for those confounded noises…

Judy turned over for the umpteenth time, burying her head back into her pillow, and trying in vain to fold her ears over her head. She succeeded momentarily before two pings, and the sudden feeling of a breath of air on her fur, told her that they had sprung up again. Sighing lightly, Judy reached out a floppy paw, stabbing at the button on her alarm clock. The face illuminated for a few seconds, making Judy yet again sigh:

 _ **03:25**_

 _Clearly, I'm not going to be getting any sleep tonight… Again!_ Judy thought with a slight groan. Sitting up, she reached forward and flicked on the bedside light, casting a soft orange glow upon the bed, and throwing dark shadows under her desk and by her door. She again extended a fluffy grey paw, this time reaching down beneath her and grabbing a large, yellow folder. Judy set it down on the bed, smoothing out the blue, sea patterned covers before drawing out the first few sheaths of paper. Judy sighed yet again, this time far more audibly. The case was hopeless. Months, weeks, days. None of the ZPD knew how much time was truly left. Every day, the quarantine zone was getting larger. More and more animals…

"Arrggg!" Judy shouted, collapsing back onto the bed. A soft but firm knock from next door told her that she'd been a bit too loud, but it wasn't followed up. Nobody had the energy to. Far quieter, Judy muttered her trademark oath: "Sweet cheese and crackers". She took a deep breath, settling back into a sitting position and gathering up the papers that she had just scattered across the covers. Once they were back in a reasonably ordinary pile, she flipped to another page and, with nothing else to do other than let her thoughts consume her, started to read…

* * *

 **Time - 07:56**

* * *

Like the city by night, the lobby of the ZPD's headquarters was subdued and quiet, all the mammals there hurrying around on their purpose, not caring about the others around them. Judy watched as a tiger, carrying a large stack of papers, narrowly avoided crashing headlong into a moose walking the other way. She shook her head, continuing away from the doors and towards the reception desk, where Benjamin Clawhauser sat. Approaching, Judy called out the welcoming hello that had become the norm between them all, with Clawhauser replying with a much need shot of happiness. But today even that was slightly subdued, distracted and preoccupied.

For today was the day. The council of Zootopia had decided that, for the safety of its citizens, quarantining was now to be enforced heavily and, if needed, with force. If any mammal was seen to be exhibiting any sign of infection, they were to immediately be removed from their homes and set into the Zone. This was clearly on everyone's mind, and Judy watched with sadness at the tense faces that passed her, fearful eyes glancing at anyone and everyone. Judy decided to leave Clawhauser to the TV, which he was glued to, and instead headed straight towards the briefing room. She continued passing officers as she walked down the corridors, hoping to find Nick. After all that had happened in recent days, she needed someone to talk with. To laugh with, and forget all of this, even just for a few brief moments.

But then, she thought, mentally kicking herself as she did so, that Nick wouldn't be here…

The Zone was his home now.

Stifling back a tear, Judy put on a brave face as she strided into the room. One that, just two weeks ago, had been full of racious officers, laughing and playing as they waited for the chief. Now, there wasn't half as many, and they too had the air of desperation that had plagued every mammal of late. Judy passed by all of them in their chairs, jumping up onto her own oversized seat and fixing her gaze on the door. A moment later, the looming shadow of Chief Bogo could be seen on the other side, and he opened the door, stepping into the room. "Silence" He shouted to the already deathly quiet room, more for the purposes of normality than need. He plodded up to the the front podium, and cleared his throat. "Good morning officers." He started, trying and failing to inject a bit of calm into the room's tense atmosphere. "I have only one item to discuss this morning. And I'll think you know what it is." He turned to the board behind him, stepped out of the way, and started the video that had loaded up.

" _This is a public notice to all citizens of Zootopia."_ Said a voice. " _Recently, we have noticed that a new virus has been circulating through certain areas of the city."_ The screen changed from the Zootopian emblem to a computer-generated image of a virus. " _This virus, Pathogen #1456, or 'The Predator Pathogen' has been seen in several citizens of late, and we believe that it could spread to other mammals, and cause further problems. We have contained the affected citizens until a later time, but we advise all citizens to watch out for the signs and symptoms of the virus, and report any suspicious or dangerous sightings."_ Again, the video changed, this time to a list of points. The voice continued to read:

" _1- Growling, or otherwise predatory behaviours. 2- Foaming at the mouth, or other abnormal releases of bodily fluids. 3- Changing of walking stance, walking on 4 limbs e.t.c. 4- Foods that an animal of that species would not normally eat (i.e, outside of their ordinary dietary patterns)."_

" _Due to the fact that all of the above, and several other minor symptoms, have similar or near identical links to the Night Howler Flowers, it is advised that citizens consult their pamphlets on the subject too. It is not yet known what causes these strange behaviours but, unlike Night Howlers, the process is_ _ **not**_ _instant. From current reports, the mammal has roughly 120 hours (5 days) before they become completely predatory. And, most importantly, the virus_ _ **infect ALL mammals,**_ _both predator and prey. By no means is this just predator-based, so the city urges you to take care, and all will be sorted soon…"_

The video ended with a ring of music, going back to the Zootopian Emblem before fading to black. Judy couldn't help but snort slightly at the closing message of the video, the city, and Nick's, predicament showing just how wrong that had been. Bogo cut into her thoughts, snapping her back into the room.

"...And we all know what's happening now…" He picked up a sheet of paper off the podium, bringing it up to his muzzle and looking down through his glasses at the words. "The latest reports show that, as of yesterday, 16,000 mammals out of 35,000 have been infected by this virus. Unlike what our esteemed council said, this is no longer a small problem. The quarantine area, or Zone…" As bogo said this, he brought up a hoof, motioning air quotes as he used the slang term of the quarantine zone. "Is now the size of 54 grazing fields, and over 150,000 over animals have been displaced from their homes." He slowly shook his head, removed his spectacles and dropped his voice. "I really don't know what we're going to do. You can see how badly this has dented our force, and precincts right across the city are calling in similar losses…"

Judy slowly lowered her head onto the table. Normally, she was the most eager and open of anyone she knew, but the combination of losing Nick to the virus, and the heavy lack of sleep in recent days had dampened even her joys. Ultimately, she was just under the same cloud as everyone else, one of dark grey storms…

...And those storms were getting closer…

* * *

 **Time - 19:43**

* * *

Judy practically staggered into her room, flopping down onto her bed and groaning. The days were getting worse. More and more mammals were disappearing off the streets, being shipped into the Zone. And after the loss of Nick? It had been the two of them together that had helped through the early stages, when it first started to show as being a bigger problem than it had originally been predicted. But Nick had got infected soon after, probably after one of the many evacuation and removal operations that the two had undergone soon after. And then, it had been Judy herself to tell Nick that he needed to go to the Zone. It had broken her heart, but she knew that for the city, it had to be done.

Stopping that train of thought from continuing for too much longer, as it would undoubtable tear her apart otherwise, Judy looked at her phone, browsing through the apps and hitting the timer button. And then she sat, watching with dread and sadness as the non-savage life of her best, and only friend drained away…

 **18:11:10**

 **18:11:09**

 **18:11:08**

And in the silence, the noises began anew…

* * *

 **Lab Report 34-**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #1548793

A user by the name of zyxwffd gave us the beginnings of an idea for this week's experiment. The idea of a quarantined city, the residents living in fear of a lethal virus was a most interesting proposition. And while it wasn't so much of a long tale, we at Fox Labs felt that this was a great test for 'Infuser' to work less with situations, and to more take one day and focus on the emotional aspects of a dystopian society. Yet we all agree that coming back to viruses and their spread, especially in a more _light-hearted_ tone, could prove to be a most interesting idea.

So, that is the first report written, and the first insight into the millions of trillions of possibilities that The Multiverse opens up. So, leave those ideas, and we'll see what to do next!

* * *

 **A/N -**

 **Yay! Two chapters in two days! I hope that you, zyxwffd, enjoyed what I did with your idea. Mostly, this was a rough emotional test, but be sure that Fox Labs will most definitely come back to the ideas of viruses in the future. I have also done some slight changes to both the summary and the first chapter (making it more 'grabby' and lengthening my time frames for writing respectively)...**

 **So, yeah… That's all folks! Keep those ideas coming, and I hope to see your ideas again soon!**


	3. Multiverse 2 - Zootopia 6589732

**Zootopia #6589732**

 **Time - 18:56**

 **Date - 22/09 756 A.E**

 **Mammals of interest - Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps**

* * *

The gallery was heaving. Mammals of all shapes and sizes had flocked to the grand event. Of course, the fact that it was in the heart of Zootopia, and that Gazelle, angel with horns, was the star of the show. The teeming lines of queues stretched along the streets, with both streetlight and spotlight glistening off the multitudes of faces. These same spotlights also illuminated the futuristic and monolithic mash-up of glass and steel that formed the gallery, one of the first buildings designed by the great Arthur Steelpaw, arguably one of the greatest architects of the 700th Century.

Or at least, that's what Officer Nick Wilde had been told in the briefing earlier that day. And frankly, he didn't really care whether it was built by an elephant or a mouse. What matter was the reason for him being here. And crowd control in Zootopia was never easy. Trying to govern a herd of rhinos was quite a step up from the norm of patrol and the odd chase. And now, as he rested his paws upon the metal railing outside of the grand entrance to the gallery, he took a deep breath, watching the lines stream past in their eager anticipation. A cough from next to him alerted him to a certain Officer Judy Hopps, who stood beside him in the police pen.

"Nick." She said softly, placing a small grey paw on his police uniform. "You all ready for the night?" Her voice raised into its natural joyous form by the end of the sentence, comforting Nick as they both gazed out over the crowds around them, filing towards doors and the plethora of hanging delights and trinkets that were waiting inside. Scanning his eyes down the lines, Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out his classic shades, slipping them onto his red muzzle before replying: "Ready? I was born ready Carrots! Let's do this!"

"That's my fox. Let's go see how the reception is looking…"

They both turned as one, waving to the other officers as they headed inside, ignoring the calls and shouts that flew out from the mammals surrounding them. The Nighthowler case's aftershocks still hadn't completely died down, popular to the belief of most other officers, and no-one knew that better than Nick and Judy. They had of course been at the very centre of the whole thing.

The gallery's reception was no less grand or modern than the outside was, with twisting spires and water features adorning the walls. Judy and Nick trotted towards the central desk, pushing through even more queuing mammals to reach the higher ground of the polished mahogany. They both reached it without much incident, scrambling up onto the flat surface and yet again gazing out over the assembled animals. "Quite the party..." Nick muttered, turning in a full circle to take in the numbers. "For once, I couldn't agree more…" Judy replied with a whisper. It may of been noisy in the cavernous space, but neither officer wanted to be heard. The fame and fortune of being the ZPD's best came with the cost of very little private time. And while the least amount of animals knew they were here, the better.

Luckily, the desk provided the height not only to watch out, but also to avoid being crushed by the lines. They may of been orderly and calm, but for a small mammal it was always a problem in tight, enclosed spaces. So the wooden platform was like a raft to the rabbit and fox, floating above the waves of fur, tails and horns that flowed along next to them.

They continued to scout out the herds, occasionally firing off the odd comment to one another or squeaking quickly into their radios on a certain mammal's location. But when the animals finally started to troop into the first gallery room, only semi-glancing at the paintings before moving on, Judy and Nick hopped back onto the floor to help the other officers direct towards the gallery, and then after much commenting and analysing from the art critics, into the large hall where the main event was to be held.

At this point, Judy and Nick both backed out again, strolling back towards the reception to meet with Chief Bogo and the rest of the precinct. Along the way, they made hearty jokes, mimicking the upper-class voices of the art critics. Nick was just about to burst into another great impression of Jason Snow, his voice dripping with a abstract detachment, when Judy silenced him, both with a "SSHHH…" and a paw across his chest. Nick halted in his tracks, glancing around with trained eyes, desperately trying to spot what Judy had seen. Failing in his search, Nick looked to Judy, who had her eyes glued on a curtain ahead of her.

"Fluff?" Nick questioned quietly. "Think I saw a dark shadow moving into there when we walked in here." Judy responded, all while firmly keeping her eyes on the dark curtain. "And that leads _where_?"

"Back room. Storage according to the plans." At the briefing, they had all gone over the extensive details of the gallery, from the main halls and rooms, right to the sewers and ventilation. Unfortunately, Nick hadn't payed much attention to that meeting, and now he was completely in the dark as to where they were going as Judy pushed open the plain grey door that had been concealed behind the sheets. Judy held her police flashlight in her other paw, while Nick's paw hovered over his tranquilizer gun, which was currently in its holster.

Creeping into the room, Nick looked around the large hall that they had entered. Its ceiling was far overhead, with strings of lights running along it. Scattered across the floor space and covering most of the lower walls were dust sheets, clearly covering paintings and sculptures that hadn't yet made it out to the viewing zones. Both the officers walked further forward, Judy's flashlight and the thin rays spilling from the door the only sources of light. Judy ventured towards the largest covered sculpture, near the centre of the room. When she reached it, she started scanning her flashlight around the room, before calling out "Is anyone in here?"

There was no reply, and after a few more scans and calls, Judy gave up. "Nope, maybe it was just a shadow Nick…" She sighed. There was no reply from the fox, and Judy hurriedly walked away from the statue and back towards where Nick had last been to check if he was OK. He was. "Nick?" Judy shouted, walking towards him. Still, Nick didn't reply. Judy started to get worried, moving with a faster frenzied pace as she reached Nick. Judy saw that the cover of one of the paintings had been lifted, and Nick was staring at it intently. A paw lightly tapping him made Nick jump, and Nick turned towards Judy with a startled look upon his face.

"Fluff?" He questioned. "I think you should look that this…" He moved away his paw, and Judy shined her flashlight on the frame. "Oohhhh… Cheese and crackers! What is that!" Behind her, Nick made an equally disturbed noise, before clearing his throat. "I thought that I might be mistaken with it being so dark. But…" He trailed off, his attention back on the picture in front of them. It was an ordinary frame, and an ordinary canvas. But the picture itself was anything but. A rabbit stared out of the picture, rose in mouth, grabbing the tie of a certain fox. Love hearts were floating around their heads, and a mischievous look was in the pair's eyes. And to Nick and Judy, the identities of that rabbit and that fox were unmistakable.

It was them…

Judy scarpered away from the painting, Nick following close behind. "Cheese and… Cheese and… Cheese and crackers…" Judy was hyperventilating, breathing in and out with ragged breaths. Looking to her left, Nick looked to be in no better condition. "What? Why? How?" Nick said, talking to no-one in particular. As one, they turned towards each other, shakely climbing off the floor that they had fallen to. The expressions on their faces, ones of shock, fear and just a tiny bit of curiosity, spoke volumes to each other, and they both started racing around the room, pulling off cover after cover in a frantic race to reveal more secrets…

* * *

 **Time - 20:42**

* * *

Nick and Judy both lay collapsed against one of the sculptures. The one that they were leaning on thankfully did not depict them. The same could not be said for the other 50 or so other 'works of art' in the room. From the happy to the sad, to the gross and the downright wrong, Judy and Nick had seen all manner of art in their names.

Moody looking Judies, grey ears drooped and a frown upon their faces, all entitled: _Judith Hopps_ … Nick floating upon a puffy sofa, drifting through a void while touching a loving paw against an outstretched Judy's, who was on the top of the highest building in Zootopia, the Viewing Tower (entitled _The Paw of Creation_ )... A Judy, paws held against her head, screaming as a savage Nick moved towards her, aptly, and rather simply, named _Pred_... Another mischievous looking Nick glared out of a larger picture, teeth bared and a rabbit lying coyly in front of him… Judy and Nick intertwined, lips looked together, both sharing a moment of peace and tranquility ( _Opposites Attract_ )...

Nick and Judy had seen them all and so much more. Their faces had travelled through so much in the past, but what they had seen the the room had been a new experience for the both of them. While not all of it had been as bad as other pieces, all of had rolled into one massive ball of shock in the two mammal's minds. Photos and frames went on and on, a fluffy gallery of happiness…

After a time of staggered bewilderment, Nick finally spoke up. "Judy? You think we should get out of here?" A muted nod from Judy was all that Nick needed, and they both stood up, gently and slowly walking away from the room. Some may have been nice, but there was too much intimacy there. It was time to go…

...And anyway, Bogo needed whatever report they could muster...

* * *

 **Time- 23:27**

* * *

The door opened, and in walked a pale skinned figure, furless save for a small tuft upon its head. It walked towards the centre of the room, a puzzled expression on its face for a moment before it was replaced with a smile. The figure strode over to one of the pictures, removed it from the wall, and half carried, half dragged the frame and its contents back across the floor, out of the door and into the space beyond...

And into New York City...

* * *

 **Lab Report 34-**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #6589732

A guest gave us the idea of this week's experiment. And yet again, we at Fox Labs thought that it was an idea that must be capitalized upon. While last week's test was all about the emotional alteration of creatures in The Multiverse, the movement of an object from one universe to another was a whole bigger step up. And thankfully, we succeeded, as you may of saw by the _startled_ reactions of officers Nicholas Wilde and Judith Hopps.

While today it may of just been art, we hope that this experiment may provide a detailed and adaptive foundation for future transports, and possibly the transferal of living matter in a future experiment. But for now, that's all the experimental time we here at Fox Labs have, so keep with all the ideas, and we'll be back with another experiment next week!

* * *

 **PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #6589732

To all concerned…

Why on earth did that happen! This was meant to be a secure location! Why have we got other dimensional beings _crossing over_?! I need this fixed now. If the results are true… We could cause a much bigger problem than we'll ever need…

I want answers by Monday…

Dr. Alex Thorp

* * *

 **A/N - Yay! Another experiment!**

 **To be frank, as soon as I saw this idea, I knew I was going to do it. It was just such a clever and unique idea, one of the ones that I'd been hoping for. But for purposes of reference, I have included inspiration for the pictures and photos listed while Nick and Judy rest:**

 _ **Judith Hopps**_ **-** _ **Mona Lisa**_ **[Leonardo Da Vinci, 1503]**

 _ **The Paw of Creation**_ **-** _ **The Creation of Adam**_ **[Michelangelo, 1508 - 1512]**

 _ **Pred**_ **-** _ **The Scream**_ **[Edvard Munch, 1893]**

 _ **Opposites Attract**_ **-** _ **The Kiss**_ **[Gustav Klimt, 1908]**

 **And I'll see you all next week with a new experiment!**


	4. Multiverse 3 - Zootopia 1278692 P1

**A New Idea...**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #1278692

* * *

To all those concerned…

Our latest experiment came from a slightly different source. Fox Labs was recently contacted by another, interdimensional, organisation known as the Interdimensional Army of Freedom (IAF). They proposed a joint pact, and we at Fox Labs agreed, both for the purposes of a great experiment, and what we thought to be 'a good read'...

Ultimately, the IAF have brought to our attention that a certain dimension (Zootopia #1278692) has been accessed by the organisation, and that the conditions within have forced them to take drastic action against the anti-civilians within. But before they engage in all-out military deployment, they have asked Fox Labs, with our advanced portal development, tracking and recording technologies, to access Zootopia #1278692 (referred to as 'Zistopia' by the IAF) and feed back to them on the state of affairs in the city. If we can pull this off correctly, then we can launch several 'Infuser' modules into the dimension to simulate differing options to solve the problems that this Zootopia faces…

By no means have we gone into crime fighting, but the plea for help from the IAF was a genuine one, and after the end events of last week's experiment, I myself hope to avoid contact between anthropomorphic animals and other races in the future. So just this once...

...We'll enter Zistopia as a peace party...

* * *

 **Zootopia #1278692**

 **Time - 10:34**

 **Date - 18/06 710 A.E**

 **Mammals of interest - Nick Wilde, Assorted Members of the IAF**

* * *

It always itched.

And it constantly got on Nick Wilde's nerves. A numb, low yet keenly throbbing itch. That was the worst. If you combined it with a 'Pred Assembly'? A living nightmare…

Yet that was Nick's current predicament. Sitting on a hard, plastic 'chair', more of a stool without a back, and being forced to sit through another hour long talk on the problems of predators. Understandably, Nick didn't get why they were made to come. All it entailed was a sheep, nervous and wearing a mask, standing behind a podium while detailing what was occurring to predators in the next month. "And this is all the Pred Initiative can give us!" Nick muttered darkly.

The Predator Initiative was 'the biggest advance towards equal society since _The Joining_ ' Or at least, that was what the prey infested government said. It had been two hundred years since predators had finally been allowed into the cities and towns with prey. Of course, the collars were to prevent any _accidents_ from happening, but nowadays it just seemed to be to annoy and terrorize preds. And prey, especially the ZPD, loved to put predators in their places for the smallest of things. Just last week, a wolf had been shocked for a full minute just for 'Looking funny'.

But that wasn't the worst that predators got in Zootopia. Limits to jobs and money made many predators below the poverty line, struggling to make ends meet. Prey had plenty to go around, but Preds? They weren't so lucky. So many lived in the poorer areas of Zootopia. Happytown and the other, predator dominated districts were the highest among these, with the more popular prey zones not very high on the places to live. And if you combined areas with a high density, poor populus and a government that hated everything that predators stood for, you could see why the districts like Happytown were so run down and destitute.

So ultimately, predators were the low lifes of the world. Outnumbered 9 to 1, they struggled in everything. And after months of rallying and protests by some of the biggest names in predators, the government finally 'gave in'. They gave preds a 'Predator Initiative', a group dedicated to making life better for the shunned in life. A government division. Of course it was going to be flawed. While they did do things for predators, it was barely enough and anything that did get raised moved so slowly through the various ranks and meetings that it felt like any decree was drenched in honey.

So now Nick sat in the hot and stuffy room, on his uncomfortable chair in an even more uncomfortable position (his tail was trapped beneath him), wondering what was going to be done about the state of the world…

And still the sheep droned on…

* * *

 **Time - 11:24**

* * *

The streets were practically deserted at this hour. Or at least, the streets were deserted in this part of the city. It might not have been Sahara Square, but neither was it Happytown. Fortunately for Nick, he could afford what must be pushing on luxury for a predator in the city. Well, Nick could thank his job for that. 'Job' as Nick called it in inverted commas. 'Hustling' was a more adequate term, and one that he liked to call out to anyone that cottoned on to his schemes. And it was one of these schemes that he was heading off to now, walking down the streets, back towards the city centre. Here he got many glances, most of filth, like the look of someone who's found something nasty in their soup. Nick also heard a few dark mutterings of "Sly, no-good fox" or "What's he doing skulking around in daylight hours?". Nick just smiled through it all. He probably made more than most of these _privileged_ mammals. Although the suit he was wearing didn't really help him avoid the comments. Well, Nick said suit, but it was more of a loose Hawiian shirt with an equally loose tie. But it paid the bills at the end of the day.

Nick moved from the busy main streets back into the quiet dark alleyways of Zootopia. It was like an entire second city back here, but one where guns and drugs rather than food and water was the staple diet. And it was away from the all-seeing cameras of the true city. But today, Nick wasn't here to buy the undercity goods. To be frank, he had never particularly understood the need for drugs that mammals drove themselves to. In the long run, it was all just a waste of money! And money was like blood in this world…

You would die without it…

Nick pushed on, leaving the thoughts of death and drugs behind him, forever pressing deeper and deeper until he arrived at his destination. It looked to be an ordinary building. Grey, featureless and depressing. One of those constructions that once proved invaluable for the city, but soon disappeared into the murky recesses as bigger and brighter monoliths took their place. But yet again, a wasteful city helped Nick greatly. It left many places to hide…

Inside the bare and empty space conveyed much the same feeling as its exterior had done. But Nick wasn't here to admire architecture. He was here to meet Mr Big. And there he was. Or at least, there were his polar bear guards, standing to attention either side of a large mahogany desk. And perched upon the wide desk, massively dwarfed by its size and grandeur, stood a miniature high-backed swivel chair. Upon Nick's arrival, the largest polar bear gave a small nod, before turning the chair.

"Mr Big, Sir…" Nick started. The shrew simply shook his head slightly, and Nick hurriedly bent forward to lightly kiss his large golden ring, trying hard not to swallow it in the process. He continued after a second small dip of the head was received. "Sir. I'm here because of your message?"

"Yes Nicky." Mr Big replied, his voice characteristic of his family linage. "I hear you and your partner… What was his name?"

"Finnick?"

"Ahh yes, well I hear you have been a bit… Busy recently…"

"Well, we have been getting some good hustles Sir, but I…" Mr Big silenced him with a quiet cough. "Nicolas… I have been told you've been stealing my business…" Nick's paw stopped in mid-air, just as frozen as the rest of his body. He shook his head a few times and blinked rapidly before coming to his senses.

"I'm sorry Sir? Your business?" Instead of replying, Mr Big nodded towards one of the surrounding guards, who in turn motioned towards the shadows. As whoever it was walked into the light, Nick saw the light on their collar slowly coming into view, a bright green glow pinpointing the owner. It was a leopard who walked out into the semi-chemical light of the the cavernous and empty space. She was carrying a clipboard, the cork board edges worn and jagged with age. She strolled up towards Mr Big's desk, flashing a fangy smile at Nick as she passed him. "This is Natasha, my secretary and the main mammal in the day-to-day running of operations in the Sahara districts. According to her information, you've been doing a lot of business yourself there. And that's putting off some of my more… Nervous customers. Which is bad for business Nicky. And I'm not a fan of bad business…" Mr Big trailed off, leaving the obvious threat in the air.

Nick was startled, taking a pace back in panic. Before he could open his muzzle to argue, Mr Big continued, his voice gaining a menacing tone. "And of course, in this city it's already hard enough to make a living as a predator." He motioned to the tiny metal collar around his neck. "So we must either all work together… Or eliminate the competition…" Yet again Mr Big left things unsaid, tormenting Nick with the ifs and buts of what was being said. And Nick hated it! Waiting a moment, Nick was again just about to open his muzzle when one of the polar bear guards spoke up. "Sir? Do you want us to bring round the _freezer_?" Pure animalistic panic and fear swept through Nick's body. Mr Big's freezer was mentioned in the mob world with hushed tones. It had been well known that Mr Big had always like to use a large pool of ice beneath his home. But after the new Pred Initiative rules had come into play, the mansion had been turned over to the government for the homeless and destitute, Mr Big had been forced to downsize…

Quite considerably…

But, as it had turned out, Mr Big had come up with another ingenious method for his trademark 'icing'. And now Nick could see how he'd done it, as a large white vat was wheeled in from the shadows. _Wow…_ Nick thought. _They really need some proper lighting in here. Too many surprises otherwise…_ It was only then, as he cracked a mental joke, that he realised his predicament. The squeeze, however hidden it was, on predators had finally got to the crime lord. He was becoming paranoid. And Nick was in his red-raged sight. The white vat was being pushed closer, the two giant polar bears behind it shoving in their shoulders to slide it along the ground. Nick was starting to panic more and more. He turned back to Mr Big for a final attempt. "Mr Big! What have I done? I've always been good to you! You don't need to ice me-"

"Portably ice him…" Was all Mr Big replied with, his face and voice impassive.

Nick started to move away, but his paws were instantly scrabbling through empty air as one of the guards grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him towards the vat. It was slowly steaming, ice cold vapours rising off the icy liquid surface. A loud bubbly pop was emitted from it, and Nick redoubled his efforts to escape. "No!" He cried… But it was all in vain. The polar bear picked him up and…

Pppfffff!

The polar bear staggered backwards a few paces, dropping Nick onto the floor mere centimetres from the vat and clutching his chest. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back up into his head, and he collapsed to the ground, the spreading blood of the obvious wound soaking into the matted white fur. Mr Big seemed just as surprised as Nick, rapidly rotating his chair and trying to spot the sniper. "Guards, find that sniper! He took one of ours, so we shall take them!" The guards nodded, Mr Big was picked up and they all hurried out of the room…

Nick slowly got to his feet, coughing and banging at his chest as he tried to get rid of the dusty fragrance of the floor. He looked around, amazed at how close he had come to death. Glancing down at his paw, he realized he was shaking. "Well no wonder…" Nick said to himself. "You just survived one of Mr Big's 'Icings'!" Nick tried to clear his head, deciding that getting away from here was the best option. Maybe head back to Finn's van and hideout there for a few days. He started towards the door, one tentative paw in front of the other as he made it towards the door…

Somewhere to the left of Nick, a stone hit the floor, the bouncing crackle echoing loudly in the large space. Nick froze, paw about to hit the ground, and slowly swiveled both his ears and his head towards the location of the sound.

"Ppssstt!"

 _Ok, that was_ _ **definitely**_ _a voice!_ Nick whispered in his head. He fought mentally for a moment, but curiosity won out, and he headed towards the door where he had hear the voice. Approaching it, he cried out in shock. Standing there, framed in front of a glowing, swirling purple-green portal, was a furless, pink skinned creature. Nick had never, ever seen such a mammal anywhere in Zootopia. Could it have some illness? No, it didn't have a muzzle either, just a flat face with some small, puckered lips. It seemed to be wearing a military uniform, again one that Nick had ever seen. As he was about to speak up, the creature winked at him before turning and jumping into the portal, a quiet hiss marking its departure.

In a daze, Nick walked up to where the mammal had been. _What was that?_ Thoughts whirled around Nick's head, but one remained rooted in the centre of them all. He needed to find out what was behind that portal.

And, without a second thought, he stepped through into who knows where...

* * *

 **Unfortunately…**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #1278692

* * *

Ok everyone, apparently our monkeys… I mean, highly trained writers, can't write fast enough at the moment, and until we get more peanuts? They're all on strike! So, this experiment is going to have to be an all-nighter, two part deal. Which, in hindsight, is quite lucky, because who thought that triple A batteries would be able to run the _Infuser_ for 4 hours straight?! We need to talk R  & D...

So, hopefully we'll be back to a normal schedule after next week, once this little (although it is quite a long) experiment. So, enjoy a slightly reduced pay as we get more peanuts…

Dr. Thorp

* * *

 **A/N -**

 **Ok, do not fear!**

 **I just felt that this story would be a lot better in two parts, with Nick being the star of the show for this week, and who knows? Maybe Judy will meet the IAF next week? For yes, that was who intervened to save Nick's life. Ultimately, call this week a scene set, and watch the IAF get angry and far, far more public soon!**

 **See you then!**

 **[Thanks to Zaravan by the way! You'll get your Dr. Thorp shoutout next week!]**


	5. Multiverse 3 - Zootopia 1278692 P2

**Zootopia #1278692**

 **Time - 8:32**

 **Date - 18/06 710 A.E**

 **Mammals of interest - Judy Hopps, Assorted Members of the IAF**

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap… Click. Click click… Tap. Tap… Tap tap tap…

The rhythmic tapping of the keyboard was a repetitive droning soon Judy Hopps' mind. She was sitting at her desk, which was in turn perched in a tiny 3-walled cubicle, sealed within a stuffy, grey and drab ZPD office. Posters lined the walls, both in the cubicle and the wider office, depicting wanted criminals, ZPD charity days (this month's was going to the 'Collar Improvement Fund') and example parking notices and offence reports among other things.

Judy sighed, glancing round at the equally bored officers around her, all tapping and typing away at their sleek, yet old computers. This was an odd quiet day for the ZPD. _Clearly_ , Judy thought idly, _those no-good preds are all sleeping off their hangovers today_! And while it may of allowed the officers to swap tranquilizer guns and flashlights for pens and trackpads, it meant that a day of documental spring cleaning was in order. And this could become quite a bore…

...As could be seen now…

Tap. Tap. Tap tap tap tap. Tap tap tap tap tap. Click click click…

Judy looked at her report, the source of the immediate tapping. She was already on her 3rd, and this brutal efficiency was one of the core reasons for her rise through the ranks. Yet this report was proving harder than most. And it was really starting to get under Judy's skin. Suddenly, Judy jumped up from her computer, pushing back the desk chair and clambering out between the files and shelves to escape the cubicle. _Coffee…_ Judy's one thought ran through her head as she scrambled with as much dignity as she could muster towards the godly black device of the coffee machine ahead of her. She reached it, grabbing a polystyrene cup before placing it beneath the pouring brown jet of steaming coffee. Normally Judy didn't drink caffeine. Rabbits didn't really drink caffine full stop. Already incredibly energized, anything like that and… Boom! Zootopia would be filled with hyper-crazed bunnies…

But today Judy felt like she needed it. A ding from the machine told her that the cup was filled with the heavenly liquid, and Judy reached out to pull it towards her and…

"Hopps!" The barked command swept across the office, reaching Judy's ears and causing then to spring to attention. "Chief Bogo Sir!" Judy cried, turning on the spot to face the towering buffalo as he stride down between the cubicles, his bulk only just squeezing past the thin walls and occasional concrete pillar. As he approached, Bogo called out again, his voice rising above and drowning out all the background hubbub of the office. "Lieutenant! I hope you're ready for another case?"

"Yes sir!" Judy replied eagerly, concealing the smile before it spread across her muzzle. She was getting out! Away from tapping and clicking and cubicles and boredom! "What's the case?"

"Nothing major Hopps." Bogo replied grimly. "Just a short scout out on a warehouse in Savannah Central. A few of the locals have reported some 'shady preds' entering the alleyways around there, and the ZPD has reason to believe that this warehouse is some sort of meeting place for them."

"I understand Sir!" Judy raised a grey paw in salute. "And I won't let you down!"

"I'm sure you won't Hopps. Now go! You're cruiser is waiting out front…"

With that in mind, Judy turned and hurried out of the room and the ZPD's headquarters, her coffee all but forgotten...

* * *

 **Time - 11:08**

* * *

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Judy really didn't know what she hated most. The loud and infrequent taps and clicks of the office, or the quiet yet also impossibly loud ticks of the clock she was with now, repetitive and unending. Ultimately, Judy decided, the office was better. At least there the multitudes of sounds folded together into something approaching a melody, rather than the bass beat of the confounded clock. Judy glared back at it, fixed as if was upon the wall behind her. It was an ugly thing, just as ugly as the rest of the room that she now found herself enclosed in. The pig that has so kindly let her use a room in his not so safe looking factory opposite the target had begrudgingly dragged out a chair for the rabbit to sit on, before turning on his hooves and walking back out the door, the noise of him moving down the cold metal stairs rising back up to Judy's sensitive ears.

Realising that she was losing focus, Judy snapped her attention back to the window in front of her. Smeared and grimy, it casted a half-picture on the scene opposite. Yet it was really all that Judy needed. She focussed harder, glaring out of the window. Across the tight alleyway that bordered the warehouse, litter strewn and scattered with rusty bins and boxes, there was another window. It was whatever was happening, or was going to happen in that building opposite that Judy was interested in. Luckily, this building's window opened out into an almost diagonal window, like some crazy cross between an ordinary window and a skylight. Which, for what Judy needed to see, was absolutely perfect.

Judy tried to get the _Tick. Tick. Tick_ out of her head as she sat and waited for the suspected predators. Most of Zootopia considered them scum, the lowest of the low, no-good trouble making citizens whose sole directive was to break apart the law and order that governed Zootopia. Yet from her inside perspective of the law inside Zootopia, Judy only partially agreed. Yes, they were no-good, citizens in poverty, but they certainly didn't go to any and all lengths to break the law. They were lazy. That was their main problem. And a mammal could do nothing to destabilize the society of a city if they were sitting on their tails all day. It was, in hindsight, really only a few preds that took any action against the law. And Judy was hoping that today would be the day that she saw a few more behind bars.

But, for now at least, there were no mammals in sight in the dark, shadowy warehouse, predator or otherwise. Judy settled down, expecting a long wait…

* * *

 **Time - 11:27**

* * *

It wasn't too long after before Judy's patient waiting paid off. A square of light quickly reflected off the hard stone floor of the warehouse, a medium sized silhouette framed inside it for a few moments before the black bars of darkness swept back across the floor, covering the image once more. Back in the cramped room, Judy sat up straight, her previously wavering attention all but focused upon the scene that was almost certainly about to unfold in front of her. Of course, she couldn't be certain that any of the activity that she had witnessed was going to lead to anything illegal, but for the way that that mammal had entered the building, she had a fairly good 'officer hunch'.

More silhouettes could be see moving about along the floor. And while Judy was only guessing, she thought that it looked like one mammal meeting with several, towering others. And yet, as Judy watched, something appeared to be unfolding in the shadows. The sole figure started to move around more and more frantically, its head snapping in either direction, paws raised in a defensive position of surrender. Subconsciously Judy reached towards the tranquilizer gun strapped to her hip, ready to spring into the action but also knowing that there was no point. Whatever that mammal had been doing down there, it didn't look like it was going to be good for it. More action happened out of Judy's field of view, and Judy saw the individual back away even further, terror clearly shown through his rigid posture. A large, box like thing seemed to be wheeled out onto the floor, its shadow casting a grey and foreboding cloud over the whole room.

Judy was really starting to worry about whatever was happening down there. No matter what, she was witnessing a murder! Even if it was a predator, surely she shouldn't stand by and let it happen? But it looked like any decision was going to be too late. The mammal was being lifted up by the towering grey figures, being dragged towards the large tub. Judy half-closed her eyes, hoping that the scream wouldn't be loud enough to hear it where she was. He was going… Going…

Pppfffff!

A gunshot!

Judy sprang out of her chair, running over to the window and plastering her muzzle against the glass. Down in the play of shadows Judy could see a frantic performance going on, the many mammals running around in panic as the one of the larger shadows tumbled to the ground. In the fray, Judy could just make out the figure that had up until recently had the undivided attention of the group. And as the rest of the shadows left the stage, it was this mammal that Judy saw somewhat groggily get to his feet and slowly, carefully back out of view.

 _Ok_! Judy thought. The room was now clear. And even if it had been a pred-on-pred attack, it was still the duty of a ZPD officer to investigate any crime scene. And if a gun had been involved, then it was even more important for her to check it out. Mind made up, Judy backed out of the room, thudded down the cold metal stairs and pushed through the thick steel door into the alleyway beyond. Pushing past the bins and boxes, Judy crept through the alley door into the warehouse that had been the battleground of shadows just moments ago. The room opposite did certainly appear empty, even the stunned creature had left Judy's field of view, either disappearing back out into the real world, or deeper into the smaller offices behind the main room.

But wait! Was that a quick shine of light from through that doorway? It had only been for a fraction of a second, a mere flash of photons flying out through the crack. But Judy was sure that something had appeared there. And she was determined to find out! Slowly, paw yet again tentatively resting upon the tranquilizer gun at her hip, Judy crept towards the doorway that the supposed light had been shining through. Judy couldn't hear any noise coming from the room beyond, but as she got closer…

Yes!

There was definitely a light or, at least, a faint glow, coming from the room. A glow that seemed to gently _swish_ and pulse, appearing to change slowly and lightly through several green and blue colours. Curiosity getting the better of her, Judy reached out a paw and pushed open the wooden door, before stepping into the room behind it, to discover whatever lay beyond…

 _Bang_!

The door frame to the left of Judy exploded, the splinters of wood creating shrapnel that slid through Judy's fur, a few of the more prominent shards sticking and coiling within. Judy jumped, scampering back into the relative darkness of the warehouse. She crouched down low to the floor, quickly and fearfully scanning the shadows in front of her, both with eyes and ears. With a creeping horror, Judy saw a shadow detach itself from the walls and run towards her, getting closer and closer with every panicked breath that Judy took…

"Stay where you are!" A voice barked from the darkness, its owner even now coming into the range of Judy's flashlight, which had been dropped on the floor in the confusion. Even in her fear, Judy's eyes widened in shock. The mammal stepping into the light wasn't anything that Judy had even seen before, both from experience or the many hours of police biology that she had partaken in during her training. It was a light skinned figure, furless save a small black-brown tuft upon its head. The face of the creature was flat and mostly featureless, a small yet protruding nose the only thing providing serious dimension. The figure had small, slightly puckered lips and, as it smiled, Judy realized that it had no fangs, just a mix of small flat and mildly pointed teeth within its comically cavernous mouth in comparison. The figure was clad in a sort of army gear, but one that Judy had never seen being worn by any division of the military anywhere in Zootopia or the surrounding micro-states.

While Judy had made her observations, the mammal raised a fleshy and bony hand to a microphone strapped to the webbing on its chest. "This is IAF A72B repeat Alpha. Seven. Two. Bravo. I've detained a rabbit, appears to be part of the Zootopia Police Department, at the Warehouse Portal Zone. Awaiting further orders." The figure moved its hand again, reaching down to brush against the weapon at its hip. Yet again, Judy had no clue as to what it was, but the movement was an obvious concealed threat, one taught to every member of the ZPD. The microphone crackled a reply: "Roger that A72B. Sending more personnel to your position. Continue to detain, but engage if hostile. Repeat, engage if hostile…"

A conformation was given in return, and then the creature, who Judy could only think of as some rogue nation member, and some failed cross-breeding attempt at that. It always seemed to be that no matter how much the impossibilities were highlighted in school, mammals still always tried it, to create the newest citizens of Zootopia, better and brighter than any before it. And want was that about a portal? It didn't really make much sense. Yet, as the creature walked back away into the shadows, Judy pushed the thoughts of mislead education out of her head. She needed out. She needed to get back to the ZPD, to city hall, to anyone. If these were military, then Zootopia might be in danger. This had gone from a simple scouting mission to one that might, if the voice on the radio was to be believed, end in death, hers or others.

The creature seemed distracted at the moment, waving and peering off into the darkness around it. The backup! Judy needed to move NOW! Thank goodness that she hadn't been handcuffed. This would be easy! Quickly, Judy got to her feet, balancing on her pads to reduce the noise that she caused. Glancing over her shoulder, she was relieved to see that her escape attempts had yet to be noticed. With renewed vigour, Judy started creeping away, towards the door which she had come through originally, carefully putting one paw in front of the other, watching out for anything that might create enough of a noise to draw the attention she really didn't need. Thankfully, nothing could be seen, and the door was getting closer and closer, with the noises of cars and mammals passing outside reaching Judy's pointed ears. She was going to make it! They may be military, but they clearly weren't as clever as they first seemed…

CRASH!

"Hey! Stop!"

"Oh! Sweet cheese and crackers!"

Judy broke into a run, all chances at a quiet escape lost, dipping out into the alley. The bin! Why had she not remembered that one had rolled into the doorway, just concealed in the darkness of the warehouse. And now, the strange creature had realized that she had escaped and was calling into the microphone, barking requests to whoever was listening. Further crashes from doors at the back end of the alleyway, and Judy saw with terror that more of the creatures, identical down to the nose, bony hands and strange uniforms were setting off in pursuit of her, joined by the original. Judy felt as though she'd enter some sort of sci-fi film. They were clones! Something that the scientists of Zootopia had said was years away from being perfected. Yet there they were, living proof…

...And they were coming after her!

Judy powered her hind legs as fast as she could, springing out of the alleyway and into the street beyond. A scarily empty street, devoid of any mammals. No-one to help! Judy wasted no time, jumping up into the cruiser that she had thankfully parked a short few hops away. Another shot was fired, bouncing off the armour plated skin of the cruiser. Judy slammed the door as several more rounds peppered against the outside of the car like hail. Judy needed to get to city hall, inform the ZPD, and maybe even the military. Those were live rounds being fired after all. And the ZPD, while heavily stocked, only had tranquilizer based technologies. So, city hall, ZPD and the military…

Oh, yes. All while running for your life!...

* * *

 **Time - 11:52**

* * *

"Get me Mayor Bellwether!" Judy cried as she crashed through the main doors into city hall. As she entered, the activity from the rest of the mammals slowed and stopped, distracted by this flare of interest in their otherwise dull and drab days. The receptionist on duty, a male leopard, stood up as Judy approached the semi-circular, sweeping desk. "I'm sorry… Miss Hopps, but even mammals of your stature can't just demand the mayor like this. She's a very busy sheep…" He motioned with his paws, as if to give a better reason as to the one he'd provided. Judy didn't blink, snapping out the reply that she'd spent the last 10 minutes practicing. "Sir… I've just been shot by a rogue force in the heart of Zootopia. I've already contacted Chief Bogo, and he is in agreement with me, and just as shocked. I need to speak with the mayor…"

The leopard was just about to spring in with the standardized response, but something caught his eye. Judy looked back over her shoulder too. A armoured truck had pulled up outside, and even now, the strange, identical figures were clambering out and assembling at its rear. Figures in military uniform. The reception area had gone deathly silent, the mammals experiencing a mix of confusion and fear. Judy simply turned back to the startled leopard, who simply nodded his head in mute conformation. "Evacuate this area, get everyone out of the back entrances." He simply nodded again as Judy turned and ran up the sweeping stairs to Bellwether's office.

Dawn was writing when Judy entered, but she looked up as the door hurriedly closed, a sheepish smile spreading across her face. "Judy!" She exclaimed. "I've been hoping to talk to you! How are things going, with being the ZPD's number one and all?"

"Badly." Was Judy's stark reply. The sheep's face started to fall, but Judy quickly followed up. "I'm doing fine, but I fear that Zootopia is in trouble…" She outlined all that had transpired, ending with leading Dawn to the window and showing her the action that was unfolding below. The forces were now nodding towards the figure that appeared to be the leader, although their uncanny likeness to one another made it rather hard to tell. Judy gave a small sigh of relief. This might not appear as hopeless as it had first seemed. In the distance, three sleek, black helicopters were flying low over the cityscape, homing in fast on city hall. The cavalry was arriving. "Mayor…" Judy pointed towards the helicopters, which were getting larger and bigger with every second. "We need to get you out of here. None of us want to see you get injured." Dawn sighed. "You're right Judy. Let's go…"

As the two descended the stairs, everything was eerily quiet. The reception area, which had just a few minutes ago been bustling, was now deserted, paper and pens strewn across the various tables and chairs, obvious signs of the activity that had surrounding this area just moments before. Judy and Dawn moved towards the the corridor that lead to the back entrance, and by extension the way to escape the imminent combat. Ultimately, Judy hoped that the conflict could be settled without weapons being drawn, and so the peace that Zootopia was always remembered for could remain unbroken and as strong as ever. They were getting there…

Then the windows exploded…

It happened suddenly. One moment the glass was intact, clear and showing the two groups getting closer and closer to one another. They it fractured, a fine pattern of spider-webbing cracks splintering out in all directions across the pane. And finally, the glass exploded inwards, drenching a chair in the icy, razor sharp shards and fragments. What happened after that was all a blur to Judy. Losing Dawn's hoof, being dragged away as the two sides of conflict burst into the reception simultaneously. Narrowly avoiding bullets as she slowly moved towards the exits, fighting through hoards that were indistinguishable between friend and foe. Kicking into a few of the more prominent rogue personnel. Nearly reaching the hollow frame of the main door, only to be knocked back deeper into the conflict. Rising of the ground to see a gun trained on her head…

"Stop! Stop! Everyone, weapons down!"

It was one of the clones that barked the order, firmly holding the shiny, metallic pistol to Judy's head. "All you animals, put down your weapons or I'll fire." Around the room, a dazed Judy could see the mammals that had been fighting slowly lowering their guns, tranquilizer and otherwise. "Now…" The clone continued, looking around the room with oddly-toothed grin. "We're all being a bit more civil. We are the Interdimensional Army of Freedom, the IAF. We're here to stop the predator tyranny that has been occurring of late, under the order of Mayor Dawn Bellwether…" Nods from the other IAF members sent a hollow thud of fear through Judy. Where was the mayor? She started to look around the broken reception, but a flick of the gun stopped her. "If you do not comply with the demands that we shall put down, we will do this by force…" The mammal cocked the pistol. "And this is the example…" The trigger was pulled...

Then all hell broke lose…

* * *

 **14/07 712 A.E, 10:32**

* * *

Nick sighed, removing the sleek sunglasses from his head. He took a final look round the place that had been his home for the last two years. He had never really figured out why or how the portal had brought him here, but he had found it far more suited to his style of living than the cramped slums of Zootopia. Yes. A cabin in the middle of some forgotten and snowy woods was right up his alley. But when the portal had appeared again several days ago, Nick had know that homesickness was going to be on the forefront of his mind. He wanted to see his friends again, to meet with Finnick and more than anything, to do a hustle again. Being the only mammal in a place can get a bit boring after a while. So, today was the day…

Nick picked up his suitcase, something found in the cabin, and ventured forward, stepping up to the glowing green-blue surface. He took a deep breath. He would bring mammals back here one day, to show off his little haven. But now… Nick stepped through, into Zootopia…

...Into a barren and deserted wasteland, the twisted spires and skeletal frames of buildings just perceivable through the thick mist that muffled the landscape. "What!" Nick cried, turning in circles. For Zootopia was gone, the IAF war claiming yet another dimension as its victim...

* * *

 **Lab Report 57-**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #1278692

* * *

Hats off to Zaravan for the last two weeks of experiments and for putting us in contact with one of the many divisions of the Interdimensional Army of Freedom. Although, as you can see, the approach that they asked us to investigate may of been just a little… Extreme. So, we advise not to do that, and maybe follow the ideals of Judith Hopps instead?

On a sub note, we at Fox Labs again apologize for whichever idiot thought AAA batteries would power our little machine. So, we hope to get back to a more normalized experiment schedule next week. And, as always, send your ideas, so we can mess with Zootopia and its animalistic inhabitants even more!

Dr. Throp

* * *

 **A/N -**

 **Well guys, that's Zavaran's IAF two-parter done and dusted. I hope you're not too upset about it being a day late, but I felt that the extra refining did it the world of good. But, I hear you asking, how did Nick survive for 2 years? And what did happen? Well, you're going to have to talk to Fox Labs about those little queries…**

 **See you soon!**


	6. Power Issues

**Warning! Warning! Infuser power at critical levels…**

 **Warning! Warning! Infuser power at critical levels…**

 **Warning! Infuser power at 0%... Shutting down current experiment…**

* * *

"Boss?"

"Yes?"

"The Infuser has just died… What should I do?"

"Johnston? What were the technicians using to power it?"

"Err… Let me check… Uummm… Ahhh… Triple A batteries Sir!"

"Johnston, do you remember the memo I sent on the problems of power? I commented on the specific fact that the use of Triple As wasn't enough to power such a piece of technology. We had to elongate an experiment to cope with the restraints… Remember that?"

"Yes Sir, and you mentioned a solution…"

"The Thermo-electrical generator yes… And the records show it was built. So, my question is, what on earth is receiving 1.21 Gigawatts?!"

"The coffee machine Sir…"

"I'm sorry? What was that?"

"The… The coffee machine Sir!"

"The coffee machine! And what's that coffee like?"

"Bland and rather tasteless Sir!"

"SO WHY DOES IT NEED THAT POWER!?"

"Err… To make it better?"

SMASH!

"Sir. That was your favourite mug…"

"Yes Johnston, yes it was. Now, you get the cleaners in here. I've got a memo to write…"

* * *

 **Power**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** The 'Infuser'

* * *

To the technicians…

Why? What limited brain cells you have told you to CONTINUE using Triple A batteries?! An entirely new and revolutionary generator and power source was designed and built to sustain the technological marvel that sits at the forefront of Fox Labs. And yet you continue to use cheap knock-off batteries, believing that they better 'suit the demand'. Yet here we are, requiring the time and money for a COMPLETE RESTART! Why? Just why? It's going to take a good week to get back online, which is an entire experiment wasted! I would like you to get the power reconnected, and then maybe you won't lose _everyone you love_ …

Sort it by next Wednesday…

Dr. Alex Thorp

* * *

 **A/N-**

 **Ok, I'll come right out and say it…**

 **I'm being lazy. Completely and utterly lazy. It's nearly Christmas, and my mind has been wandering. So there's no experiment this week. I do have a experiment, and it is currently being written, but I feel that it's nowhere near ready to spread to the loyal readers…**

 **So I whipped up a Fox Labs excuse instead…**

 **I hope you'll forgive me, and there should be another experiment next week…**

 **See you soon!**

 **Oh, yes... And, if you celebrate it, Merry Christmas!**


	7. Multiverse 4 - Zootopia 2389756

**Zootopia #2389756**

 **Time - 02:26**

 **Date - 17/02 757 A.E**

 **Mammals of interest - Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde**

* * *

White. An endless blanket as far as the eye could see, covering the undulating skyline of East Zootopia. Buildings and streets alike were smothered in the thick layer of snow, muffling the quiet dark of the night. It was the perfect opportunity that Judy had been waiting for.

The rabbit looked back over her shoulder, through the doorway and into the tiny apartment that had been her sorry home for the past 7 years. _Darn that cold war!_ Judy cursed. It had been that one event that had completely and utterly torn her life apart, separating her from those that she loved and cherished. It had ripped her from the grand home that she had lived in with her family, and overall wrecked her plans for the future. An officer. That was what she'd wanted to be. But now she was in the wrong half of a destabilized city, barely scraping a living and surrounded by nut-jobs that all wanted peace and unity between all mammals, both predator and prey.

But tonight, that would all change. She looked the other way, across the narrow corridor and out into the deserted street beyond. There it was! Just peeking out over the buildings of the city centre. The wall. Featureless and grey, it stretched on and on, quite unlike the biome walls that divided the city. Those may of held a lighter purpose, but this concrete monstrosity held a far more menacing job. The segregation of the East and West sides of Zootopia. The crazy communistic pred-controlled Eastern territories, and the prey dominated haven of West Zootopia, where preds didn't walk freely, and were collared for the safety of its citizens. It had been the cold war that had done all of that…

But now was not the time to think of such things. Judy needed to look to the future. Her escape. Climbing the wall, and leaving the hellhole of the East to reach the civilized and safe world of the West. To be reunited with her family, get the job that she had always dreamed of and forget that any of _this_ had ever happened. It was time to return to her home.

Judy again took one final look back into her apartment taking in the grimy walls and peeling paint. She'd left the furniture. It would only of slowed her down. All she needed was a backpack, stuffed with the most necessary of provisions. Shaking her head, Judy closed the rotting wooden door, the last part of turning her back upon the life that had been thrust upon her. And with that thought, Judy turned on her heel and walked down the corridor, towards the stairs and her freedom…

* * *

 **Time - 02:32**

* * *

"Aahhgggrrr…" Judy muttered, ducking down behind yet another dustbin to avoid the flashlight-ready patrols that walked the streets. It was just another annoyance of the East, and one that Judy had added to her mental list years ago. They might be all about equality and free will, but most of the predators were stupid in Judy's opinion. They're just lounging about, feeling that the world is all fine and dandy, while their fatcat leader rules over their _utopia_ with an iron fist. _While the West…_ Judy thought, distracting herself momentarily with thoughts of what life might be like in a few days time. She'd be among her own kind, safe from the predators that plagued the alleyways here, in this world… Actually, that wasn't a bad analogy. While the two parts might make up one single city, merely divided by a giant wall, they were far more like two separate worlds, giving the choices of two lifestyles…

As if there had been a choice…

The 'Separation'. It had hit so fast, so hard. It had almost felt like it had been overnight, transforming the city. Yes, tensions had been on the increase about that time, but many of the citizens hadn't predicted how quickly words could turn into actions. To be honest, Judy had always thought that it had started with the predators. They were the ones that had revolted in the first place. If they hadn't risen up against the prey government, the war would never had started. And if the war had never started, the division of the once great city of Zootopia would never of fallen into the disarray and confusion that it found itself in now. And ultimately, some tiny part of Judy hoped greatly that if she could become the police officer that she had vowed to be at that farmyard play all those years ago, then maybe she could be the one to fix the Zootopia that she had once, like every other mammal, truly loved.

But sitting here wasn't going to help her in the slightest! Suddenly remembering where she was, Judy slowly rose up from beneath the safety of the bins she had taken refuge behind. It seemed that the coast was clear for now, and Judy wasted no time in moving on, going deeper and deeper into the streets of the city. And towards the wall that would mark the gateway to her freedom…

* * *

 **Time - 02:37**

* * *

In hindsight, the snow probably helped more than Judy could ever have accounted for. It both muffled her flight through the city, a small trail of rabbit-sized pawprints the only evidence of her movement. Yet it also put any mammal that might have been out and about at such an hour off the thought, for the temperature, even in Sahara Central, was far lower than usual. So the snow assisted Judy's plight, and she made it to the grey, nearly monolithic wall in record time.

Judy had mapped the route out again and again, walking it day after day while she prepared for the moment. She could have walked it blindfold if that had allowed her to escape. But no thin pieces of cloth were in sight tonight, and Judy's vision was as clear as ever, the crisp night air even helping in that aspect. Judy had never been a religious bunny, but even she gave a small thanks to the fates, for putting on such a perfect night. But now the hardest parts began. The wall had been reached, the concrete surface just a few feet in front of her gentle quivering muzzle, so part one of her 'Master Plan' was complete. Yet parts two and three? They were quite a bit harder. Part two required somehow getting over the wall. Which, to add to the challenge, was illegal on either side, and would result in the arrest and possible execution of one rabbit if she was caught. _If…_ That was the one word that the entire escapade hinged on. And Judy hoped her luck would continue. After all, she did have a rabbit's foot!

Pushing such jokes away into a corner of her mind, while mentally promising herself to revisit them later, Judy looked up, gazing up at the mountainous task that lay in front of her. 150 feet above her, the wall reached its top, a flat plato with a lone guard tower stood atop it, mammals from both the East and West stationed in it to patrol the joint border. While neither side desperately liked each other, immigrants were something that both agreed were a problem, so they put up with each other to fulfill the job.

And even now Judy could see several silhouettes high up in the guard tower, their murky grey shapes peering out through the frosted glass and into the two sides beyond. The mammals in the towers weren't the main problem for Judy however, as she was far more concerned with the armed and patrolling guards who we answered the raised battlements of the wall. If any of the guards were going to see the small shape of a rabbit climbing the vertical sides of the wall, it would be them.

With a final, and rather forceful push, Judy forced thoughts of capture deep into the crevices of her mind, solely focusing on the mammoth task at hand. _Right, backpack…_ Judy crouched down, removing the heafty pack off of her shoulder and on to the snow covered ground. She carefully and slowly unzipped it, before gently removing the metallic claws that were on of the few items stored within. But these were nothing like the small and natural claws that predators displayed. These were large, long and sharp appendages, tapering to a fine point at their tips. Climbing claws. The things that Judy could use to scale the final wall to freedom. Of course, getting down on the other side would be a question of later…

 _Now or never!_

Judy leapt at the wall in front of her, digging the claws into the water-softened wall. Leather straps had secured these to her smaller paws, and now she was making light work of the climb ahead, scaling it like the supposed ninja mammals of the oriental pasts. Crunch, crunch, crunch. The claws scraped into the wall, tearing out crumbs of concrete as Judy rose ever higher. Now she was in the darkness, the faint lights of the street fading away as Judy climbed ever higher, slowly but surely moving to freedom and…

CRUNCH!

A large square of the wall peeled away at the touch of Judy's claws, ripping itself away from the wall and falling down to the street below…

CRASH!

The concrete hit one of the scattered dustbins that littered the dead ended street, crushing it and wrenching and twisting the frail metal. _Oh sweet cheese and crackers!_ Judy cried in her mind, fearing at any moment for the high beam of a flashlight to appear blindly in her eyes…

But, as it had been throughout most of the night, rabbit luck was on her side. No mammal came to the parapets that lined the top of the wall, and there was no stirring of activity of activity in the guardhouse. For the moment at least, Judy was still a ghost. And with that in mind, Judy continued to climb, before at last a shaky and somewhat tired grey paw reached the cold top of the wall, with an equally tired rabbit being pulled up behind it.

Judy stood up, taking in the view for a moment. The wall stood in the very centre of Zootopia, dividing the city in a perfect half from North to South. And for the last 7 years, Judy had been restricted to just half, with half the capital, half the suburbs and the tropical remix of the sahara districts and Tundra Town. Yet now Judy was finally seeing the city in all the glory that had brought her to it in the first place, gazing out in wonder at the great trees of the rainforest district. It was a sight that still brought a small tear to her eye, the wonders of the Zootopian founders still working perfectly in this broken world that she found herself in. It was a brilliant feat of engineering, a perfect…

"Aarrggg…"

The whispered cry startled Judy, and she had to hold herself from falling back over the wall and down to the ground below. _They've found me! I took too long!_ Were the panicked thoughts racing through Judy's head. She crouched low, hoping against hope that the mammal hadn't seen her. But that just wasn't going to happen, as even now she could the figure lurching out of the snow, coming ever closer and closer…

Coming to ensure Judy's death…

* * *

 **17/02 757 A.E, 01:47**

* * *

It always rained in the rainforest districts. Part of the climate control system installed when the city started to grow more and more diverse, thousands of hidden sprinklers constantly deluged the platforms and walkways below. It allowed the mammals that lived there to feel like they belonged somewhere in the torn-in-two city that they found themselves.

And now Nick's fur was soaked, the orange-red coat clinging to the equally wet skin beneath. Even the vulpine shaking that he had been subtly attempting for the past few minutes was proving useless, the water droplets hammering down restlessly. And it was the middle of the night, the temperature low even in the slightly humid environments of the rainforest. Nick had heard that the other districts were experiencing snowfall tonight.

 _Which is going to make my escape so much colder!_ Nick thought sulkily, trudging along through the rain and the trees. He was carrying a single small suitcase, dragging it along behind him as he trudged along. He had to travel through half of the rainforest district, and then through a further half of the city centre to reach his goal…

The wall…

It was the gateway to a better life, a world of equals, a world where predators weren't frowned upon, where they weren't forced into the shackles of collars. A place of freedom. For too long had Nick lived under the oppression of a prey dominated government. It was time to make his tail bushy and go into a better world.

Yet to do that, he needed to pass the obstacle that strived to divide the city of Zootopia. A wall. A wall of mammoth proportions. A wall that the few predators who felt the true unjust of the world that they have been flying into were determined to beak. For it was in their knowledge that whatever was on the other of the great slab of concrete was far better than the oppressive lifestyle that was the current norm.

Nick shook his head, clearing his mind of the thoughts. Now wasn't the time. He just needed to get to the target before his predicted time was up. "It's going to be easy…" Nick muttered. "I'm a mammal on a business trip, and need to get some personal matters straight before I leave. I have all the required paperwork." This mental comforting on Nick's part helped to ease his rising nerves. Being agitated would make this plan so much harder. Border guards patrolled this side of the wall regularly, and if they saw a shifty low-life anywhere near the perimeter, there were going to be questions. Questions that Nick would need to answer without missing a beat…

"Well…" Nick whispered. "Here goes nothing!"

* * *

 **Time - 2:02**

* * *

For once, the weather reporters had been spot on. As Nick had emerged from the protective humidity of the canals, he had stepped straight into a deep drift off snow, the cold whiteness freezing his lower fur and skin. He had chartered his jaws slightly as he shifted through the piles of snow to firmer ground.

And now he was trekking through the deserted streets of the Zootopian suburbs, heading closer and closer to the looming wall that meant either a new life or a quick death for him. Local residents on both sides called it an eyesore, and even though Nick wasn't near it yet, the sight of it made him agree. He couldn't imagine living next to such a symbol of segregation. In recent years the prey majority had signed paper slips, and school mammals had come and "decorated' the wall in different colours and artworks. Yet that beauty was only skin deep. And it only stretched up a ⅙ of the wall. So the bottom was covering in dots and squiggles before the rest flew up into a rolling featureless grey.

Nick glanced at his Fhone, noting the glowing time that shone up into his muzzle.

 _02:03_

 _Ok… Time to get moving…_

Nick redoubled his effort, moving as fast as he could in the snow. Again, he was careful to look natural, as though he was meant to be where he was. For he knew that as he got closer to the wall, he would have a greater chance to encounter a group of the numerous guards that patrolled the streets around it. And the guards meant business. Recent predator initiative groups had volleyed for the government to set aside jobs for the pred minorities. So now jobs like guard duties and utility management where being done by predators. And the wall had the toughest and meanest predator guards, specifically picked to deter mammals in the first place. And, of course, the guards had the incentive that they would lose their jobs if a mammal got through.

So Nick had a challenge ahead of him. And it was going to need one heck of a hustle to pull it off!

* * *

 **Time - 02:17**

* * *

Nick had expected to be stopped at some point.

In the end, he was confronted in a quiet and sleepy residential street, close enough to the wall to be blanketed by its shadow from the moon's light. Nick's ears fell slightly as he saw the two guards, a scraggly old-looking wolf and a younger tiger, approaching him, tranquilizer guns gleaming at their hips. Lethal weaponry was frowned upon in Zootopia, on both sides of the wall, but weapons that caused no _lasting_ damage? They were fair game. Luck did appear to be somewhat on Nick's side though. While predator guards were more motivated, they didn't have shock remotes, as it was considered too dangerous for their own safety. Even so, as the guards came closer, the looks on their faces made Nick feel that they were itching to use their tranquilizer guns at a moment's notice. He was going to have to put his acting skills to the test…

"Good morning!" Nick called out as he strolled towards them, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He kept a straight trajectory, hoping to walk right past them. It wasn't going to happen. The two guards stepped into his path and stopped.

"What can I do for you then?" Nick called cheerily. A grunt of dissatisfaction was the only thing he got from the wolf, and the tiger took it upon himself to speak for the pair. "What might you be doing here?" He asked sternly, rasps lacing his tones.

"I'm about to head out on a business trip," Nick said, motioning to his briefcase as he continued. "And I'm just on my way to get some personal matters sorted out before I move on."

"Have you got your paperwork on you?"

"Yes…" Nick reached a paw into his pocket, drawing out a crumpled and folded piece of paper. He handed it over to the guard, keeping a completely blank face as the tiger's eyes greedily scanned over the words. He looked back up at Nick occasionally, before turning his attention back to the document in his paw. After a while, he handed the paper back to Nick, who stuffed it back into his pocket before asking: "Well?"

The tiger replied with a raspy cough, and then said: "It all checks out… You can go." Nick tried to hide the smile that spread across his face. "Oh, but where are you going?" It was a tiny falter. Nick's mask slipped for a second, but the tiger saw it. "You're trying to escape aren't you?" It was a stab in the dark, but the panic that inadvertently flashed upon Nick's face confirmed it. "Well then…" The tiger growled. "You've got another thing coming." Nick didn't even see the butt of the gun until it knocked him in the side of the head.

* * *

 **Time - _**

* * *

\- Groggily, Nick rose to his feet. He dusted off his clothes, carefully ironing out the creases. It was then that he remembered what had happened. A paw shot to his head at the same moment that he grabbed at his Fhone, bringing it out and consulting the time on it.

 _2:35_

"No!" Cried Nick, looking around in panic, trying to determine where he was. It looked like an alleyway, dirt and dust coating the ground, rusted bins with rubbish strewn from their dark interiors. But Nick needed to reach the wall. His window, the keystone to this whole escapade, was about to unfold. There was still a chance… Nick ran out of the alleyway, into the thankfully deserted street beyond. He looked around, fearfully hoping that it was nearby...

"Yes!"

There was the wall, rising up and cutting off the sky just a street away. Nick started to run towards it, desperate to reach it before the guard change. Ever since the predator job law, Nick had concocted this plan. It would be as simple as getting a uniform, climbing the stairs and making a break for it. But first, Nick had to hope he would get there in time.

* * *

 **Time 02:41**

* * *

As Nick climbed the stairs, he considered how lucky he had been. He had been knocked out, but his comatose body had been dumped in an alleyway close to the wall. He had awoken after just a few minutes, and had raced over to the wall, and the small door leading within. It had been even greater luck to find said door unlocked, and a spare, decently sized uniform hanging up there. And now he was climbing up the spiralling stairs within the centre of the wall, getting closer and closer to the freedom he was wishing for.

Suddenly Nick was out of the wall space and into the glass walled tower that rose above the rest of the wall. Looking around, Nick could see many different mammals, predator and prey. He didn't want to stay here for long. No one noticed him going in our coming up, but it was only be a matter of time until one of the more observant mammals noticed. It was then that Nick noted the door leading out onto the parapets that ran along the entire length of the wall. Eager to get away from prying eyes, Nick calmly pushed open the glass-fronted door and walked out onto the snow. Once the door closed behind him, Nick started to walk out of the glow of the light, disappearing into the swirling darkness…

"Yes!" Nick whispered quietly. Now it was the matter of finding a relatively high building and…

CRASH!

Nick froze, his ears straining to pinpoint the source of the sound. He also cast his gaze back to the guards tower, hoping that no mammals would come out to investigate the sound. Yet no one came, and the noises died away. Nick was just about to continue his search when a scraping sound reached his ears. Puzzled, Nick carefully walked over to the edge of the wall, peering over into the abyss. A distant streetlight cast just enough light to see…

Nick backpedalled wildly, disappearing back into the shadows as the figure he had seen clambered over the wall's rim. The shadow glanced around, slowly walking away from the edge, and towards Nick's form. Yet the figure didn't seem to see him, but Nick knew that…

"Aarrggg…"

Nick let out the startled cry as the shadow stood on his tail, a large paw grinding it into the ground. The figure whipped around, a panicked breath escaping the mammal's lips as they backed away from Nick, paws aloft. Nick took a step forward…

And then they were both in the light.

Rabbit eyes and fox eyes locked together...

Amethyst met emerald...

And the world stood still...

* * *

 **Lab Report #86 -**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #2389756

This is yet another ambient experiment for Fox Labs. The idea was proposed by a guest, and we saw a unique opportunity to delve into the political manipulation of the _Infuser_ 's abilities. As such, it created a divided world, where two mammals are trying to escape opposite situations.

As previously mentioned, this was a far more abstract experiment, and Fox Labs is hoping to fire up a highly action-packed experiment in the near future…

So keep those brilliant ideas coming, and we'll see you soon...

Dr. Thorp

* * *

 **A/N -**

 **OK… Honestly, how do you think this one turned out? I feel like the whole thing is as bit** _ **off**_ **, but I just can't put a toe on it!**

 **In other news, I apologise for the lateness of this experiment. Christmas is a hectic time, and then I had Wi-Fi issues with uploading...**

 **Other than that, as Fox Labs said, action and adventure should hopefully becoming soon…**

 **So stay tuned, and see you soon!**

 **And P.S, I'm going to be going to be getting the fabled... Wait for it... Ear movements! I feel like they might add a bit more description and emotion, so I'm hoping to get some of that style into the experiments from now on!**


	8. Multiverse 5 - Zootopia 4283459

**Zootopia #4283459**

 **Time - 11:42**

 **Date - 22/05 760 A.E**

 **Mammals of interest - Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde**

* * *

Clearly the tiger didn't understand the law. Even how, after Judy had spent the past 15 minutes discussing in detail why he needed to come to the station with her, refusal was still the only thing on the tiger's lips. _It's not like this is a new law or anything!_ Judy thought with a quiet sigh. _I mean, he was speeding for goodness sake! It's not hard to understand…_

It was times like this where Judy wished that her partner in crime for the past 6 months, officer Nick Wilde, was here with her, rather than in bed on sick leave. On her own, mammals just didn't seem to truly want to listen to the rabbit she was. Yes, she was famous in Zootopia, but mammals on the wrong side of the law never seemed to care. But with Nick and Judy out on the streets together, most mammals paid at least some attention, especially some of the more timid prey mammals. _Nick…_ Judy thought, attention waving away from the tiger in front of her and towards the sly fox who was now probably snuffling from underneath the plain white sheets of his bed. His nice, warm, cozy bed…

No!

Judy snapped back towards the case at hand, pushing Nick out of her mind for the moment. "I'm sorry Sir. But you going to have to come down to the station with me. You were going at 115 miles per hour which, as I hope I don't have to tell you, is nearly double the speed limit…" Judy trailed off, holding out a fuzzy grey paw to the skeptical tiger. "No little bunny." Was his simple reply, his voice slurring slightly as he took a small step back towards the lightly purring, low-slung car waiting at the side of the road. Now that Judy was giving her full concentration, and the tiger was getting more and more riled, Judy realized that he was actually drunk, the stench of alcohol reaching her nose. _Sweet cheese and crackers! This is going to make it so much worse!_ In Judy's experience, a mammal would normally come around under her calm voice. Yet drunks weren't so forthcoming, putting up a fight and a fuss to stay away from anything to do with the ZPD.

And now this intoxicated tiger was really starting to show the signs of his drinking. It was as if Judy putting two and two together had somehow set off a reaction inside the tiger's head, and now he didn't care what he did, as the officer already knew he was drunk. But, he was moving back towards the driver door. Not only would this mean that he'd get back into his car and drive away, possibly endangering more citizens with drunkenness, but the door was on the side of the car nearest to the road. And this road happened to be one of the largest and fastest in the city of Zootopia, with hundreds of cars passing through it every hour. And today was a day with very little traffic, and a lot of cars moving at maximum safe speeds, predators and prey alike eager to reach their destinations. But this meant that the tiger, in his confused stumblings, was going to walk right into the paths of the oncoming cars…

And Judy couldn't allow that!

In truth, it was a split second reaction on Judy's part. One moment the tiger was moving towards his car door, edging closer and closer to the speeding cars that he was oblivious too. And in the next moment he was sprawled across the bonnet of his vehicle, fuzzy-tipped dart sticking out from above his trousers!

Judy breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the dart she'd fired hadn't felled the tiger into the road. That probably would have made the situation far worse! She walked up to the comatose predator, grabbed him by the collar of his slightly ill-fitting shirt, and hauled him over to the police cruiser, careful to avoid the roaring traffic as she got him into the back. Judy thanked her academy training for covering how to lift and maneuver objects and mammals that were far bigger than herself. It seemed to have yet again paid off, and she had a drunken tiger snoring away in the back to account for it. Judy shook her head slightly as she jumped into the front and started the engine. This was going to be such a great story to tell Nick later…

* * *

 **Time - 12:16**

* * *

 _Paperwork time!_ Judy thought with a quiet chuckle. The tiger had been dropped off to the mammals in charge of the holding cells, and now Judy was sitting in the swivel chairs of the 2nd floor, tapping away on her computer and clicking away at her mouse. It was ZPD regulations to write up anything that an officer might of encountered, and an arrest warranted vast amounts of paperwork to keep the lawyers happy.

Judy was rather impartial when it came to the reports. Some of the other mammals hated the monotonous writing, page after page of sub-standard form filling. And other mammals, mostly the desk-y, stay at home types, loved the flow and feel of writing up everything they had experienced. Judy herself followed both these principles. She was fine with doing the paperwork, and carried it out in a good mood when she did. Yet she wasn't one to go out of her way to write pages. She had always felt that she was more of an action bunny…

* * *

 **Time - 13:12**

* * *

Judy was making the final few clicks and taps to the report when the booming voice of Chief Bogo rippled out across the office space, bouncing off cubicle walls and pillars alike. "Hopps!" Judy's ears sprang to attention, grey fur swiveling towards the sound. She jumped off of her chair, quickly saving the document before racing out of the small cubicle space. "Yes Sir?" Judy called back as she ran down the corridor towards him. Bogo gazed down to her level, composing himself slightly before continuing.

"Hopps." He stated. "You've finished your paperwork? I heard that you made another arrest today…" Bogo would never admit it, but he was rather proud of the rabbit that stood before him. In the 7 months that she had been on the force, Judy had shown herself to be an outstanding officer, solving many of the biggest cases that plagued Zootopia. Of course, that company that she kept, a certain officer Wilde, might of had something to do with that. They made a ridiculously good team, and the whole city surely felt safer because of them.

Bogo shook his head slightly, clearing his head of the thoughts and concealing the small smile on his muzzle. He looked back to Judy, who responded to his question with a nod and a "Yes Sir!" Bogo cleared his throat, lightly coughing into his dusted hoof. "Good, good. Well, I just came to congratulate you. The mayor himself sends his compliments for your latest case. You 'saved the city'!"

Judy's ears sprung up again, happiness spreading out across her face. "Thank you Sir! I'll be sure to tell Nick when I see him!"

"Don't mention it Hopps. And how is officer Wilde doing?"

"He's doing well Sir. Still got a case of the sniffles, but you know him. Such a drama king at times!"

"Very well. If you've finished your paperwork, then I'm going to give you the rest of the day off of you want it to see Wilde…"

"Thank you Sir! I might just do that!"

"OK, but be sure to remind Wilde to get his furry backside her for Thursday!"

* * *

 **Time - 14:08**

* * *

"Nick?" Judy called as she knocked on the door to his apartment. Her ears perked up as she heard the muffled grumble from her partner on the other side of the door. She also heard the flicks and clicks of the door before it slowly swung open, revealing the figure of the fox standing within the room.

"Hey… Carrots…" Nick coughed, turning back away and disappearing into the gloom of the apartment. "Come in…" Judy followed the sluggish fox inside, watching as he ventured into his bedroom before she moved into his living room. The gloom seeped into this room too, and Judy flicked on the little lamp that adorned the coffee table to better see. Nick may of been able to see in the dark, but she certainly couldn't.

To be fair, Nick had done a good spring cleaning session since he last visit. Yes, there was still mess, but it was remarkably clear. It had been filled with pile after pile of rubbish, teetering towers of junk and clothes. These were gone, and Judy could now see the carpet of the living room. A sickly brown matted thing. Well, she couldn't really complain. The only reason that her apartment was clear was nectar it had to be. It was too small for any untidiness.

To be fair, Nick's home was the exception. This neighbourhood wasn't the kindest in Zootopia. Still better than Happytown, the real slums of Zootopia, but not the finest either. Although it's centre location, nearly bordering the Sahara Central Square, certainly made up for it. Nick was always ready at waiting in the ZPD lobby as Judy walked in. It was a conversation point between them on multiple occasions.

Judy's thoughts were interrupted by the groaning form of Nick as he staggered back out of the darkness of his bedroom, a bundle of tissues clenched tightly in his paws. He popped his furry rump down onto the sofa beside Judy, giving her a sick-looking, yet still trademark expression. "Hey fluff…"

"Nick, how are you doing?"

"As well as I can be… I presume that you bring here means that good old buffolo butt got my message?"

"Your message? You got me the day off?"

"Sure did fluff!" Nick grinned, and Judy was glad to see that this was at least distracting him from his cold. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to spend time with my favourite bunny? What? It's that illegal now?"

"Very possibly… So, what did you want to do?"

"Welllll…."

CRASH!

Both Nick and Judy jumped from their seated positions on the sofa, as one turning towards each other and then towards when the sound had come from. Two pairs of finely-tuned ears swiveled to listen out for any other disturbances.

There were none.

Nick was the first one to slowly and carefully move towards the kitchen, Judy quick to follow. It was there that the noises had come from, and the two were fearful to find out what it was. They approached the darkened doorway, Nick in the lead for vision in the perpetual gloom. "Carrots?" He whispered, slowly turning his head back towards the bunny behind him. "There's no one here…"

"What?" Judy replied, her ears perking up even more in curiosity

"I said, there's no one in the kitchen…"

"Then why are we whispering?"

"You make a good point!" Countered Nick, raising his voice back up to normal levels.

"Well, what was it?"

"Errr... " Nick disappeared into the darkness, Judy just making out the shadowy silhouette of the fox. He crouched down, grasping something lying on the floor before striding back towards Judy.

"It's a DVD…" Nick stated, holding up the disc in his paw. "What on earth was that doing in here?"

"Bad guy dropped it maybe?"

"Har, Har Carrots. Very funny. But no, I don't think so…"

"Well then, what do you want to do about it?"

"Well… You wanted a movie night didn't you?"

"Not a bad idea!"

Nick and Judy settled down back onto the sofa, squeezing themselves into the cushions. Nick reached forward, pushing the disc into the player sitting in front of them. They both turned looked towards the large, flatscreen TV that adorned Nick's wall. He may only live on an officer's salary, but he certainly knew how to get the luxuries. The screen flicked once, the screen changing to a picture that shocked both the mammals watching.

It was Judy, ears alert, eyes wide and chest proudly puffed out. The real Judy stared at this is shock, fear creeping into her voice as she turned slowly to her partner. "Nick? Are you seeing that?" A muted nod was the reply from Nick, his eyes equally wide. He reached out a paw, a claw tapping the button to select _English_. The screen yet again flashed to black, before the two mammals saw a castle, blue and white, with a white, trailing light flying over it. Both looked at each other, equally speechless. Yet then it was gone, and Nick and Judy were now looking at more darkness.

It was then that Judy heard it. It was higher pitched and lighter, but she knew exactly who it was. Her! As if to confirm this, the screen faded into a green title, Zootopia displayed proudly across the screen. " _Fear. Treachery. Bloodlust! Thousands of years ago, these were the forces that ruled our world. A world where prey were scared of predators. And predators had an uncontrollable biological urge to maim and maul and…"_

" _Aaagggrrr!"_

"Aaagggrrr!"

At the exact moment that the Judy of 15 years before let out the scream of that fateful states play, the present day Judy let out an identical call. _How was this happening?!_ That was the Carrots Day Festival when she had announced how she had wanted to be a police officer. Nick voiced his thoughts before Judy could. "Is that you fluff? You mentioned something about a play didn't you?"

"Yes… That's me…"

"Well… This is interesting!"

"But… But how? Why? When? What?"

"Carrots. Carrots! Calm down alright? I'm sure there is some sort of explanation…"

"Ok… Ok, let's see what happens. It could just be a coincidence…"

"Right! Now let's see where this is going?"

"You're enjoying this! Nick!" Judy concluded, a slim smile spreading out across her muzzle.

"No Fluff. I'm hating every moment…"

* * *

 **Time - 16:03**

* * *

Stunned.

That was the one word to describe the mammals that sat on the sofa. Neither of them moved, both staring at the credits that slowly rolled by. As one, they both let out a sigh, the sound breaking through the tense and slightly uncomfortable silence.

"Sweet cheese and crackers…"

It was Judy to spring back into action first, jumping up and grabbing a piece of paper and a pen from a cabinet beside her. Nick's focus slowly turned towards her while she hurriedly began to scribble down notes. "What?..."

"I'm writing down all… That…"

"Ahh…" Nick was finally coming back to his senses, and he got up of the sofa to join Judy at the coffee table. He looked over to Judy's furious writings, watching her shaking paw with interest. He reached out his own red one, lightly tapping her grey paw. Judy looked up, startled amethyst eyes watching his intently.

"What is it Judy?" Judy rolled her eyes slightly, a smirk spreading out across his face before she turned back to the paper. "I guess it's my training in action Nick. We've just encountered something… Well, I don't know what we've encountered, but I'm getting some of the key details…"

"What more is there to say? We literally just saw the first case you ever took, and the point that I left my completely legitimate business to become an officer…" A elbow from Judy told him the joke was appreciated. "But the question still remains for me Fluff… How?"

The question was on both of their muzzles. If it was fake, it was very, very well done. It was exactly how the case had planned out. From the original eager between Bogo and Judy, to the escapade with Mr Big, right through to the train race and Bellwether's arrest. Someone could have recreated it with extensive resources and the full ZPD file…

But there was more. The first example of this was Judy's play. That had no correlation whatsoever to any of her ZPD career, and the force would have nothing on that. Yet many mammals had seen it, so someone could have remembered. And the same would be true with the later fight with Gideon Grey...

But from there things started getting harder to explain. All of the trouble at the Big mansion for instance. That, and Judy and Nick knew it for a fact, that it had never made it into the ZPD database. Only Nick, Judy and Chief Bogo knew _anything_ about the near-death experience of the officers. Two of the ZPD with ties to the Zootopian mafia would give the media a field day. So even if a mammal had access to ZPD reports, they wouldn't of known about that.

The meeting on the bridge had been another one. And with the added bonus that it had both mammals crying, although Nick tried to hide it with a paw, and a muttering of "'Furfever'". Yet, and both Nick and Judy agreed, that the oddest and hardest part for any mammal to recreate was Nick's confession. Only Judy and Nick had been in that Skytram, and there was zero chance for anyone to see or hear them…

For Nick and Judy, the plot just kept getting thicker and thicker. At least there was the consolation that it hadn't been directly filmed. The movie was clearly animated, a very well done animation at that, but still animated. So it was safe to say that Nick and Judy hadn't had 100s of hidden cameras trained on them during the Night Howler Case.

While both were still off duty, one with a cold that had been completely forgotten about and the other with the day off, their officer senses were kicking in. There was a case here. A crazy, out-of-this-world case. They had their story, animated and on a disc. Something that should have never occurred. Both mammals' minds were buzzing with thoughts and questions.

"Well partner… You ready to make the world a better place?"

"I think I'm free today Carrots, so… Yeah!"

Nick pressed play…

A castle appeared...

"Does 'Disney' mean anything to you?"

* * *

 **Lab Report 34-**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #4283459

Another Guest provided the inspiration for this week's experiment. Similar to an experiment from a while ago, this gave Fox Labs yet another opportunity to manipulate our universe's objects into our chosen Zootopia. We've proved how easy it is to do…

Emotionally, this was a slight challenge too. Obviously, Judy and Nick's reactions were ones of shock to the film by the end, but far more was going on behind the scenes. It's a question of whether one day the 'Infuser' will be able to delve that deep and discover even the most guarded of emotions…

So keep those Ideas coming, and we'll see you in another Zootopia soon...

* * *

 **A/N -**

 **Again, I apologise for this being a Friday upload. It was going to be sooner, but Google Drive had other plans, namely deleting about a ⅓ of the story! So I had to rewrite it, which took some time… I'm determined to get Wednesday and Thursday upload from now on though!**

 **Also I would love your feedback on the experiments so far and the experiments to come. Just post a review or PM if you've got any comments/compliments/critisisms about my writing or story design!**

 **Keep those ideas coming, and I'll see you soon!**


	9. Multiverse 6 - Zootopia 9302899

**Zootopia #9302899**

 **Time - 08:56**

 **Date - 12/11 762 A.E**

 **Mammals of interest - Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde and Gideon Grey(!)**

* * *

Falling…

Twisting down and round, further and further into the inky blackness of the void.

Deeper. Deeper. Deeper.

Dark. Darker. Darkest.

It was a never ending spiral of pain and torture. Never. That was the one word firing again and again within the rabbit's panicked mind. _Escape… I need to… Escape!_

And yet the bunny still fell, down and down. Deeper and deeper into the void below. The moment was timeless, both infinitely long and over in mere seconds. Every minute was an hour, and every hour was a second...

Falling… Falling… Falling…

 _Judy…_

The bunny continued to fall, paws spread wide, free falling… Always falling…

"Judy."

Down. Down. Down. Down forevermore…

"JUDY!"

The rabbit hit the ground as suddenly as it had appeared…

And Judy Hopps woke up, sunlight flooding into the darkness that had soaked through her mind only moments before. Shapes and colours bled into the scene, and then officer Hopps was looking into the very concerned face of Nick Wilde, her partner in 'crime' for the last two years.

"Judy! Are you OK?"

"Uurrrggg… Nick? Wait… What?"

"You just blacked out. Collapsed suddenly. I stepped into catch you just in time…" Nick flashed one of his foxy grins, yet his consent was still evident within his searching gaze. "Catch me?" It was then that Judy realised where they both where. Below them, maybe 50, 60 floors, mammals moved like ants along a needle-thin pavement, with you cars chugging along beside on a tarmac black ribbon.

Nick and Judy were atop 'The Giraffe', one of the tallest buildings in Zootopia. The two mammals were high into the sky, standing amid air conditioning units and lift control docks. "Why are we up here Nick?" Judy questioned, getting yet another concerned look from Nick and a tiny frown. Judy's ears drooped down behind her head. She really didn't know…

"Judy." Nick's use of her first name made Judy's ears sag even further. He really was worried. "We… We were in pursuit of a couple of 'master' criminals. Chased them up here, but then you blacked out and they got away." Nick indicated a yellow piped tunnel that curved down the side of the tower. Used by the assorted mammals that were currently renovating 'The Giraffe', it made an ideal, if bumpy and dusty, escape. "Who were they?"

"Well… Let's see." Nick thoughtfully tapped a paw to the side of his muzzle, putting on the effort of being playful for the benefit of Judy. "They started to that classic film bad-guy monologue, and I'm sure they said their names were something like Travis something-or-other and Gideon Prey?"

"Gideon… Gideon Grey?"

"Yep, that was the one. Why, do you know him?"

It was in that moment, the sudden realization of what had transpired hit Judy. She was suddenly on the hard floor, pressed into the concrete of the building's roof. Nick was beside her, even more worry etched across his usually sly and careless face. "Judy?"

"Gideon Grey…"

"What's with Gideon Grey?"

"Uuurrrggg…"

"Judy?... Judy?!... JUDY!"

* * *

 **Time - 11:49**

* * *

 _Beep… Beep… Beep…_

At first the groggy mind of Judy decided that the _beeps_ were her alarm clock. She really did need to get up, but she was just so tired. But… No. The more that Judy lay under the sheets, the less and less sure that she was. It didn't sound like her alarm clock. It was too slow. Too monotonous. And there were other sounds, sounds that she had certainly never heard from anywhere in her cramped apartment. There were quite a few other mammals around, in rooms surrounding her own. This wasn't her apartment…

Judy's eyes snapped open, immediately taking in the whitewashed ceiling above her. She groaned. That ceiling, that perfectly symmetrical ceiling, could mean only one thing. She was in hospital! Judy frantically pushed herself up off the sterile bed, propping herself onto her elbows while she desperately searched her mind for any reason as to why she was here. Gently, a red-furred paw touched her own grey one. "Carrots! Welcome back to the world of the living…"

"Wait! I died?"

Nick wore a morbid expression on his face. "The doctor and your parents arranged the funeral. Scheduled for next Tuesday I think. They wanted your wonderful partner to make a speech…"

"I'll need to tell them! Give me a phone!" It was then that Nick's mask skipped, a wide smile spreading out across his muzzle. "No Fluff. I don't think they'll be any need for that. I was joking! You just collapsed again, right after I mentioned Gideon Grey…"

Judy closed her eyes softly, regulating her breathing into a regular, slow beat. Nick saw the reaction that the name had on Judy. "He did something didn't he? That good-for-nothing fox!" Judy came back to her senses quickly, thankfully not falling from the thoughts of the 'Gideon Incident'. "It's fine Nick. He was a _real_ jerk when he was younger. And anyway, you're a fox…"

"I'm a respectable fox Judy…" Nick put a paw to his chest, puffing it out. Judy smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. He might have been trying to be deadly serious, but he was still rather funny. Nick ignored her reaction, continuing on. "And you said that I'm 'not like them'. But some of my species, they just can't force themselves past the bland and unimaginative stereotypes that closed-minded mammals throw upon them…" His rant finished, Nick locked his eyes with Judy…

Green met purple…

"Now, tell me. What did he do?"

Judy knew she had no choice in the matter. The fox would get it out of her. Maybe if she shared it, the nightmares would stop…

"Well… It all started when I was 9…"

* * *

 **10/04 747 A.E, 15:04**

* * *

" _...A stupid, carrot farming dumb bunny."_

That had been what Gideon Grey said to the injured bunny, recently clawed and demoralized. Yet she had done the right thing, and it was moments later when that was truly realized, the smile and gratitude on the sheep's muzzle enough of a reward for Judy. Her ears had sprung up high at the praise, happiness and warmth seeping through her body. She said her part, ending with the line that she felt was as true to her word as ever…

"I don't know when to quit!"

" _And yet," Judy said, turning back towards Nick. "I nearly did. I was never to know it at the time, but Gideon became worse and worse towards me. I didn't realize how much my actions were affecting him. He really didn't like to see a bunny of all mammals breaking the bonds that he himself had failed to break. It would only get worse from here…"_

* * *

 **16/07 753 A.E, 13:07**

* * *

The weekends were training times for Judy. The police academy may still be years away, but she needed to be ready for anything that could be thrown at her.

Yet the practices for today, progressively lengthening sprints, were rather a nightmare. She had been going for the past 40 minutes, racing back and forth along the long, twisting paths around the warren house that was her home. The stones only added to the training, giving both grip and support to Judy's tired paws.

The fresh air blew lightly through her soft grey fur, teasing the tufts and furls. Judy glanced at her latest (not to mention fastest) FhoneWatch, a recent gift from her parents.

 _13:08_

 _A new personal best at the moment!_ Judy thought with a slight sigh. _Can I get it any better?_ She shook her head, pressing on with her training. It was like a ritual to her. Weekdays were taking over by school, and the homework and challenges that followed after it. But weekends? They were free for Judy. They meant that she could be free to do whatever. And she chose to build up her speed, strength and stamina, all in readiness for her hopeful academy acception. Yes, it was years away, but she wanted to be ready!

* * *

 **Time - 13:22**

* * *

Puffing and panting, Judy drew to a stop, again consulting the time. "Yes!" Judy cried, fistbumping the air in front of her. "New PB!" She flopped down against a tree at the side of the path, calming her breathing while watching out over the rolling landscape below. Green hills undulated around her, a living, swirling sea of grass. Picturesque homes dotted the surroundings, gentle billows of smoke wafting out of concealed chimneys. The burrows had a very unique design. While they were followed ancestral homes of the stone ages, long earthen networks of tunnels crisscrossing each other below the surface of the blowing grass, the mounds connected to basements and above ground cottages too. All of this created huge housing complexes, which were needed to shelter and provide for the gargantuan families and extended families that bunnies naturally had.

Judy herself had never felt like a _normal_ bunny. Most of the females her age were constantly talking about the latest fashions, the biggest celebrities and the hottest bucks. Bucks were a massive thing for them. Judy thought that they were probably the one biggest group of mammals that dominated the doe's minds. Judy herself, due to her constant and regular workouts, was constantly hounded by bucks eager to spend a bit more time with her. Judy always politely declined, moving on without a look back. She never really liked the idea of settling down, not while her dream was so prominent upon her mind. She needed to focus…

A figure walking up the hill towards her snapped her from her thoughts. She turned to face the figure, bunny ears held high as her father, Stu Hopps, walked over the rise, stopping before her. "Judy!" He said. "Your mother said I would find you here…" He trailed off, turning away from his daughter and staring off out across the landscape.

Judy knew the reason for her father's distraction. He had never really believed that Judy was serious about what she'd wanted to do with her life. _Maybe it was a faze_ , he thought. _A harmless want to do more than the norm_. But as the years went on, and Judy started to focus more and more on the academics and physical training of the role, he had seen how wrong he had been. She wanted the job of her dreams. It was something unheard of for a rabbit. Bunny Burrows. It was a place of farming, of relaxing out in the sun and watching the years tick by, with barely a change in them. Yet little Jude the dude had never wanted that, never liked that. Stu would never call it a problem, but it always worried him. It could go so wrong.

A questioning look from Judy caused Stu to suddenly spin back towards her, picking up from where he left off. "Ohh! I just came to say that lunch is ready and…"

"And…" Judy probed, curiosity lacing her tones.

"And… And… And nothing."

"Ok! Well, I'll be there in a second then. I've just got to get one lap…" Judy said, pointing back towards the track behind her.

"Ohh, yes! Go right ahead!" Judy flashed a smile before turning and disappearing back off up the track. Stu turned with a slight sigh and headed back towards home.

This was the best part of the day in Judy's eyes. Yes, the running was strenuous, but the rewards were worth it. She always promised herself this, a calm and slow jog through the woods. Summer was a beautiful time for it, the leaves whispering in the trees above, telling stories of old to one another. The ground was alive with skittering bugs and crawlies, safe away from the bug harvesters down in the valley. Judy sighed softly, breathing in the rich, peaty air. A crackle of twigs behind her caused her ears to spring up moments before a red furred paw clasped her muzzle and dragged her away into the bushes.

Judy did the one thing that came naturally to her. She kicked out with her powerful back legs. Hard. A muffled grunt and the releasing of the muzzle was all Judy needed to spin away from her attacker, and turn to face them. Gideon Grey stood before her, spitting away a small clump of rabbit fur from where Judy had kicked him.

"What were you doing Gideon?" Judy questioned, keeping at a safe distance in case he lunged again. "Why, Judy, I was coming to see you run…" Gideon's country accent was strong, an indicator to Judy that he was emotional. Gideon, as one of the school yard bullies, came across as rather unbalanced, and Judy had many a day listened to his bullying sessions, and intervened. Yes, it had made her public enemy number one in Gideon's eyes, but if she wanted to be an officer, she'd need to step into such confrontations without fear. "Sure you were Gideon. And why does that have anything to do with dragging me off into the forest?"

"That was my second reason." An evil glint entered Gideon's eyes, and his muzzle morphed into a twisted grin. "I'm telling you nicely now. Stop it. You'll never be more than a dumb bunny Judy, and there's nothing you can do to change that. Your stupid Zootopia has nothing against evolution. You won't become a police officer, they'll never let you! You're just a stupid, carrot farming dumb bunny!"

Tears almost sprung to Judy's eyes, but she fought them back. Gideon's words had struck harder, harder than they had ever done at school. She felt as though there was emotion behind it, and his accent was strong, confirming that for Judy. Trying to defuse the situation, Judy changed the track of the conversation. "Gideon? Are you OK?" The question clearly threw Gideon off, a puzzled expression flashing across his eyes, before he hurriedly looked away into the distance. "Why do you care Judy? Rabbits aren't meant to be friends with foxes and…"

"Gideon!" Judy cut him off, anger seeping into her tones. "There is no need to have such backwards attitudes towards foxes, no matter what your species is. I don't care who your ancestors were, you can be whatever you want."

"And maybe I want to be a shifty, low-life fox!"

"Well, maybe you do, but that doesn't mean that you need to drag me into a forest! Now, I need to get back for lunch…"

"Fine, but let me tell you, rabbit, that you will pay for going against natural order! It's not right, and I'll take it into my paws to change it!"

Judy sighed, squashed down her fear into a deep part of her mind, and trekked on home for carrot stew…

* * *

 **12/11 762 A.E, 12:16**

* * *

"OK, OK." Nick sighed, raising his paws up. "You were bullied as a kit, and a fox tormented you in your teenage years. What's the big deal? You're still here aren't you? You're a officer now, and you've got a great partner!" Nick flashed a grin, warming Judy's heart and causing a grin to spread across her muzzle too. "Nick, I'm coming to all of that. The reason as to why I'm sitting in this hospital bed," Judy gestured around the sterile room. "And why I'm telling you all about the incidents of my childhood…"

"Well, by all means Fluff. Go right ahead…"

* * *

 **13/04 756 A.E, 16:24**

* * *

" _The day had started fresh and pure." Began Judy. "But by lunchtime, we could all see the storm clouds brewing on the horizon, over by the mountains. It was a batten-down-the-hatches sort of procedure, but I still wanted to get a run in. Turns out, that led to a whole heap of trouble…"_

The track stretched up the slope of the hill, rising higher and higher until it plummeted down the vertical drop straight into the waters of Burrow Lake. It was a steep ascent, one that Judy had made it her mission to conquer.

So now she was climbing the muddy track, steadily moving higher and higher, all while hoping the wind and the rain would hold off for just enough time for her to complete her trek for a new personal best. The hill was a place that Judy herself had discovered about 2 years ago, on one of her cross country runs. As soon as she had seen it, she had known that it would plug the final gap in her training schedules. It was definitely a killer of a run. The downhill part was fun, but the uphill was far more torturous.

And now, if Judy didn't do this fast enough, she was going to get rather wet. The bubbling black storm clouds hung low over Judy's vision, darkening a landscape that had been bright just hours earlier. Green had turned to grey. Blue had turned to grey. Grey had turned to a darker grey. And Judy was just a moving grey blob amidst a sea of simple monochromatic colour.

But the top of the hill was in sight. On a normal day, Judy always took a rest here, gazing out in wonder and awe at views that never ceased to take her breath away. A clear slate of blue, flat and smooth, stretching out as far as the eye could see. Today though, as Judy mounted the rise, it was not the pane of glass that it usually was. Wind whipped the water into tufts and waves, spikes that rose high above the surface, before plunging back beneath. Judy took a tentative step towards the edge, watching the waves throw themselves against the pointed rocks far below. The cliff face was bare apart from a small, twisted tree branch, jutting out from the chalking surface around halfway down. Judy sighed to herself, preparing to turn back and head towards home before the rains hit.

"Judy!"

The jeering call caused Judy to turn on her paws, looking back down towards the woods that she'd first come from. _Oh, sweet cheese and crackers!_ Judy thought. Gideon Grey stood there, watching her with his mocking gaze. The hate that Gideon promised three years ago had become apparent soon after, when he started outright targeting her at every available opportunity. Judy had always fought it off, never letting it get too violent. On the outside, it never got to her. But there were times when Judy could be found burying her head into a pillow while in the secluded privacy of her bedroom.

" _Never see that they let them get to you…" Nick said._

" _Pretty much." Judy replied. "I knew that if he saw any weaknesses, I would never be able to stop him. My defense was the best offence really…"_

" _Well, I got that Fluff. So, what happened next?"_

' _Wait for it Nick, it's coming…"_

' _Well then, go right ahead!"_

Gideon started to stride up towards Judy. "I remember when I told you that you would pay if you went against the natural way of things rabbit. And yet here we are, with you still believing that your insipid dreams can come true. But you're wrong. You were always wrong. And I'm here to show you what you need to do to be right…"

Judy hadn't seen the looming figure of Gideon's henchmammal, Travis, until she was encased in his vice-like, hairy pawed grip. "Hey!" Judy cried, worry starting to seep into her voice and thoughts. _This is going to be trouble…_ She thought fearfully. "You know Judy…" Gideon said, walking slowly and precisely towards her. "I was going to simply put you in your place with these little beauties…" He flicked his claws from their concealed sheaths, all the while advancing towards her. "But… Now that I see that you are far too gone to do that. If I did, you'd still never go back to your humble bunny ways. So, I've decided that a more permanent method may be in order." He nodded towards Travis, and Judy felt herself being lifted and shuffled backwards...

Back towards the cliff…

It was then that the clouds, which had snuck up on the cliff in the past few minutes, decided to release their loads. In seconds, all three mammals were soaked to the skin, droplets of water dripping from saturated fur.

CRASH!

Judy started to struggle, hoping to use the pelting rain to her advantage. Yet she still failed to break away from the paws that held her captive. "Gideon? Travis? What are you doing? You're really going to throw me off a cliff? For what!?"

"Judy…" Gideon's voice was eerily calm, a false-looking grin plastered over his muzzle. "I've been gifted…"

Judy groaned inside, fearful for what Gideon was about to say. 'Gifted' mammals. It was a crazy, idiotic craze that had been going round. Cults were springing up everywhere. _The Core Mammals_. That was what they called themselves. Supposed creatures of nature. Mammals that didn't fight the grain, and followed the metaphorical herd. They were supposed naturalists, but it was clear to see that they were all nutjobs. And the worst part. Rumours had been circulating recently that the price of admission was the subduing of a 'traitor' to society. And unfortunately for Judy, Gideon seemed intent on paying with her life!

"Gideon…" Judy spoke slowly and with care. Hours of watching reruns of police documentaries had refined her skills of persuasion and psychological examination to a fine art. And now she desperately hoped that these skills would suffice for what might be the only opportunity of her life. "Why are you doing this? What do you have to gain?"

"Look rabbit, I don't have to explain myself to you. You're just meek prey, lowest of the low. My species is far more superior than your's, and rightly so! I am going to become great Judy, and you'll help me achieve that, whether you like it or not!"

"But what's the point of it Gideon?" Judy questioned. "How will it help?" But Gideon simply brushed the question off, snidely replying with: "Your feeble mind tricks will never work on me. Travis… Throw her over!"

CRASH!

And in that moment, Judy went from having her paws scraping lightly against the ground, to just empty air beneath them, a plummet to the lake's sharp rocks the sole outcome of her predicament.

The bunny started to fall…

CRASH!

 _Falling…_

 _Twisting down and round, further and further into the inky blackness of the void. The dark, swirling lake below, and the cloudy, thunderous sky above. Trapped between a battle of Gods…_

CRASH!

She was going to die. She was going to die. Rocky fingers reached up from below to ensnare her in their cold embrace. She was going to die. She was going to...

Crack!

Judy landed hard, the breath knocked out of her. For a moment more, she held her eyes firmly shut, fearing the unknown if she dared open them. But slowly, she cracked them open, gazing down upon the waves, still quite a fall away. The leafy branches of a tree dug into her fur, and Judy realized with a slight start that she had landed on the protruding piece of vegetation. Judy tilted her head a tiny amount, freeing her ear so that she could hear through the crashing rain and waves to hear the bullies above.

No voices could be heard…

Judy broke down and cried…

* * *

 **12/11 762 A.E, 12:49**

* * *

"Wow Fluff. Just, just wow…"

"That day really tore me apart. I finally got off the cliff, and trudged home to my parents. They were distraught with worry, and that's a vast understatement!" Judy cracked a small smile. "The whole thing really shook me to be fair. I nearly… I nearly did give up. Looking back at it now, my reaction feels so stupid… But… But back then, I didn't feel like carrying on, if being an officer was only going to get me hate… hate like that…" Judy started to sob, burying her muzzle into Nick's paw. "There there Carrots. You bunnies are all so emotional!" Nick smirked after a light and half-hearted punch from Judy. "So, you nearly lost all your confidence over a life or death experience. And that's also why you react so violently to his name?"

"Yes… Gideon Grey…" Judy spat out the words. "I've… I've never told anyone that story before. I think that it might help now…"

"Well, I've got to say Carrots, you are a great story teller!"

"Thanks Nick…"

The pair sat in silence for a while, content to be with each other, mulling over their respective thoughts. It was Judy who broke the silence first. "What do you say we catch some criminals?"

"I thought you'd never ask…"

* * *

 **Time - 14:40**

* * *

It had taken Nick and Judy under 2 hours to track down and imprison Gideon Grey and Travis. Benjamin Clawhauser watched with awe and uncontained glee as Judy and Nick strolled back into the station, criminals in tow. "How do you two do it?!" He breathed.

"Trade secret Benji!" Nick replied, tilting his glasses towards the cat.

"Oh, and nightmares!" Judy chimed in, hopping along past the desk and towards the offices.

Clawhauser just sighed…

Those two were _so_ cute together!

* * *

 **Lab Report 57-**

 **Dr. Alex Thorp**

 **On the subject of -** Zootopia #9302899

Well, this week's experiment was contributed by a user under the name littletigery. We at Fox Labs felt that it was an ideal look into how the Infuser modules performed over large time spans, and through different periods of time, and the Infuser continued to function beautifully, although an extended period of time for experiment notings was apparent.

We also thought that this would be a good time to introduce another character into the major mix, and this experiment made Gideon Grey the perfect option, posing as little Judy's aggressor!

Apart from that, keep those ideas coming, and Fox Labs will see you in another place, another time…

Another dimension!

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 **A/N-**

 **Firstly, apologies for this being a week late! Life caught up hard, and I was backpedalling through this way too much. For future reference, uploads might become less frequent if stuff happens, but I will try my best to keep to an organised and ordinary schedule (yet you have been warned!)**

 **Thanks to littletigery for the Idea this week. It was one that was posted quite a while ago, but once Fox Labs figured out a good way to carry out the experiment, it was top priority…**

 **Welp, that's all for this week! See you soon, my loyal readers!**

 **[On a sub-note, anyone seen that my stories are progressively getting longer?]**


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